


Holding Out For a Hero

by Nomberr



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Character Death, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Insomnia, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mystery, Nightmares, Psychic Ryan Bergara, Rivalry, Shane is a bad bitch, Superhero school, mysterious shane madej, other cameos from buzzfeed peeps, superhero ryan bergara, superhero shane madej, superheroes in training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2020-04-07 02:02:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 66,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19075228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nomberr/pseuds/Nomberr
Summary: (Previously Titled: Hero To None, I gave it a rebrand lol)Ryan Bergara is the son of two of the most famous superheroes in the world, with little to no powers to show for it.When he meets Shane Madej, the nobody from Chicago with more powers than he could ever dream of, he finds himself at odds with the tall midwestern weirdo.However, with a sinister threat rising in L.A the city of heroes, these superhero rivals are going to have to join forces and kick some supervillain ass. Even if they can't stand each other.or, the superhero au that nobody asked for ;)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My last multi-chapter fic didn't really pick up so well so i'm trying again folks! Hope you decide to stick with me for what will likely be an absolute disaster ;)

I'm the son of two of the most famous superheroes in the world. With parents like that, I should be one of the most powerful kids in the academy. Hell, the whole country is expecting me to have already taken down the Hacker and his legion of evil by the time the first day of classes are over.

Instead I can't seem to keep myself from fucking everything up.

How I managed to get into this damn academy is beyond him, my mom must have pulled some major strings to get him enrolled. (Being second in command to the council of heroes can have it's perks apparently.) The Los Angeles Academy for Gifted Heroes wasn't for just any ole' special. There's loads of people with powers, you can find them anywhere, anybody born with any ounce of power is deemed a 'special' (although to be honest, there's so many of them the title doesn't really fit anymore) But to be a hero you had to not only be blessed with awesome fucking powers, but you had to train basically your whole life to like save the world or whatever. I met half of the requirements, I mean i've known how to do a choke hold since kindergarten. However in the power department I seem to be severely lacking.

I stared out the window of the taxi, watching the streets of LA pass by. All of the store windows lit up with LED screens advertising their products, mostly relating to new hightech inventions or fashion. Rocket shoes just became a thing. Which i'm sure will be a cause for immense disaster as soon as they hit the streets. The traffic on the ground is bad enough, imagine traffic in the sky- hah, godspeed to whoever is in charge of that security project.

My thoughts are interrupted by the sight of the massive building looming in the distance. I grimace as the academy comes into view, the huge glimmering metal walls and sparkling blue windows fill the horizon as we arrive to the line of cars, all stopped to drop off the hundreds of specials that were accepted into the academy. Plus me. Just lil ole practically powerless Ryan. I noticed my reflection in the glass of the window and sighed. I looked like a hot mess, with my black hair falling onto my forehead in loose uneven strands, plus the dark circles under my eyes were hard to miss. I wasn't getting much sleep these days. Maybe I would be better at the whole astral projection thing if I slept more. Little too late to find out now. This fuck-up is already here to stay. 

The academy doesn't take just anyone, and if it wasn't for my parents I am pretty much, 'just anyone'. You'd think with genetics or whatever I would be kicking ass with some cool telekinesis or something. But nope, just cryptic nightmares and an occasional rare instance of astral projection every now and then. If my mom hadn't been on the judging panel for auditions into the academy, my sorry ass would be right back in public high school preparing for a dental degree. 

But nope, Night Owl can't have a 'special' son. She needs a hero son, no matter how much public humiliation it might cause him. 

And sweet jesus, it was a lot.

I walk in to a campus teeming with the top specials in the country, all chattering about their acceptance. The campus was huge, massive buildings loomed around a huge courtyard, standing out starkly against the blue autumn sky. The courtyard was full of statues of famous hero graduates, a statue of my mom, in her famous Night Owl costume, was right in the center next to a statue of my dad. I paused beneath the massive stone structures, peering up at their unmoving grey figures. I felt impossibly small next to them. But then again, when did I not? Walking through the crowd to the arena where my first class was supposed to take place, I could feel eyes burning into my skin as I passed. Nosy teenagers checking out the most famous kid in North America, which so happened (sadly) to be me. My hands shook as I pushed my way through the pack of kids crowded around the arena doors, trying to get through to the front so I could have first pick of the back seats when we got inside. Not the best social tactic i'll admit, but i'd have plenty of time to make friends when I wasn't terrified out of my mind. My anti socially driven plans were thwarted however when a hand grabbed onto my arm, causing me to jolt in terror and spin around to face a round face surrounded by a pool of curly hair. 

"Sorry didn't mean to scare you!" Her hand quickly left my arm, a soft smile spreading across her face. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and muster an "award winning smile" as my mom liked to call them. 

"No it's-" My voice cracked, I swallowed hard and tried again. "It's fine uh-"

"Sara! Sara Rubin" She extended a small hand, I reached out and she shook it eagerly. "And you're Ryan Bergara right? Night Owls kid right?" She suddenly grimaced and shook her head, giving a quick dismissive gesture. "Sorry that's weird, i'm a mess I haven't ever been around so many famous specials before-" She began rambling on about how her family all had pretty mediocre magic, something about art. I stopped paying attention to what she was staying and instead flicked my eyes around the crowd around me. She wasn't wrong, all the kids here had made the news at some point or another. Eugene Lee Yang, the kid who mastered space jumping at age 12, Jen Ruggirello the girl who won the heroes olympics archery competition for 3 years in a row in middle school. Nationwide legends were all around me and I felt like a fish out of water, a fish stuck floundering about with this girl Sara who seemed like the type to have a poster of my mom in her bedroom. Although to be fair, most kids did at some point. 

"You alright?" Her voice pierced my thoughts and I quickly turned my attention back to the smaller girl, she tilted her head, eyebrows furrowing as she seemed to be studying me carefully.

"Mhm-Yeah of course" I tried to keep my voice from shaking. My moms voice thrummed through my head. 

_Stay calm Ryan, no room for fear in a hero._

"You seem nervous- I mean I don't blame you this is all-" She gestured around to the surrounding chaos. "A lot"

"Nothing i'm not used too" I smiled, trying to make it seem less condescending then it sounded.  _Wow great job being a famous prick Bergara._

"Oh right-" Sara trailed off, clearing her throat uncomfortably as she quickly looked around. "Right well uh-"

"Yeah-"

"I'll just go uh- I'm gonna talk to-"

"Oh! Okay!" I tried not to sound too disappointed as she quickly vanished into the swarm of specials. As dorky and odd as the girl was, at least she was talking to me rather then gawking like the rest of the kids lingering about. I quickly felt claustrophobic among the crowd, feeling like every eye was on me as I turned back to face the arena doors, praying for them to open. My hands were sweating so much-fucking gross. All the talking around me turned to static in my ears, buzzing in my skull in a dull hum. I rubbed my hands together, opening and closing my eyes a few time to try and stop my vision from blurring.

_You deserve to be there just as much as anyone Ryan. Just stay calm, make friends and show them what you're capable of._

My mom's words echoed again through my thoughts. So far not so good, saying as I already failed the first two steps. 

_If I deserved to be here I would have had a fair audition like everyone else. I'm a damn poser._

I urged myself to just sink into the floor and disappear, alas the universe had other plans and the doors to the arena opened with a metallic creak. A man walked out, heavily scarred and bald with a dragon tattoo snaking along his vacant hairline. This infamous hero known as "The Dragon" was instantly recognized by the crowd, earning a chorus of whoops and cheers from the teens. He let out a scoff and blew a whistle silencing the crowd. 

"Welcome to your first class here at the Academy, for those of you who don't know me I'm Mr. Wales, otherwise known as The Dragon. However while you are in my class you will refer to me as my actual name, understood?" 

One blonde kid from the back gave a loud "yes sir!" That gained a chorus of laughter from the others and Mr.Wales narrowed his eyes.

"This class will be covering all things combat and battle strategy related, this class will not be easy! I expect all of you to be in peak physical condition by the time we start training next week. Ideally I would have us all jump into conditioning today however I have been so gratefully tasked with pairing all of the students up this year." He hissed, his tone laced with sarcasm. The students all began bristling with excitement with the idea of pairing. It was one of the oldest and most classic traditions of the academy. Everyone got a partner paired up with them for their time at the academy, most people who paired up here wound up fighting together after they graduate. The academy has a way of finding out whose powers can best match up to make a more powerful duo. It was an extremely popular event to watch at home, as they did it differently every year depending on who was in charge. I felt a bit of excitement shoot up my spine at the idea, but also dread now knowing that the dragon would be in charge of the event. But it was our first day, how awful could it be?

I would soon regret asking that very question.

After filling us into the auditorium we had to wait for the rest of the new specials to file in from other classes for the pairing. The arena was set up like a big sports stadium, with seats surrounding a massive metal platform in the middle. Mr.Wales moved to the platform and grabbed a mic, speaking far too loudly into it as he pointed out the blonde kid from earlier to stand up and come to the center. The kid, whose name turned out to be Ned, looked mortified as the Dragon clapped a massive hand onto Ned's much smaller shoulder. 

"Now since Ned here was so enthusiastic earlier, I figured he would be more then happy to start us of yeah?" He cast the kid an eerie smile, which Ned just offered a meak nod in return. Mr.Wales let out a thunderous laugh and called another kid down, the cool teleporting dude Eugene. "Now typically we would hold an event where each kid would be able to showcase their powers one at a time, but that always takes forever so I figured why not just get it done twice as fast and do this the old fashioned way." Wales smirked and snapped, a flame appearing between his fingers, he gave a quick gesture, sending the flame up as it snaked itself into three smoldering words. 

Ned Vs. Eugene.

A chorus of gasps escaped the audience of students. They hadn't held a duel pairing in the academy since- well since forever. A terrible sinking feeling filled my gut as I watched the two boys look up at the flaming letters and back at each other, before backing up to opposite ends of the platform. Mr.Wales smirked and placed the whistle in his mouth, giving a long quick whistle and backing up. 

"Show us what you got boys!"

The two went at it immediately. Eugene vanished in a flurry of purple, reappearing behind Ned and delivering a quick kick to the kids back, sending him flying. Ned quickly rolled back to his feet and planted his hands on the ground. Eugene teleported again, this time landing on top of Ned and pinning him to the ground. Ned grunted but didn't try to get up, instead he reached back and grabbed Eugene's ankle, Eugene looked confused for a moment before yelping and jumping back, lifting his leg in pain. Everyone seemed to lean forward to get a better look, Eugene's pant leg seemed to have been burnt away, the sink beneath turning an angry pink beneath. Ned stood up, revealing a green liquid leaking from his hands. A series of "Ooohs" echoed through the crowd as Ned smirked, shaking some of the liquid onto the ground. Eugene shook his leg a few times before nodding and teleporting back over to Ned, Sweeping his legs out from underneath of him, Ned caught himself and twisted, wrapping his legs around Eugene and dragging him down. They both continued to tussle, Eugene teleporting in quick little flurries of purple and Ned fending Eugene off, planting carefully placed fistfuls of the burning liquid onto his opponent. It was impressive, both of them struggling to get the upper hand. Not that it mattered who won, it was all about showing off your power. Because the better you looked the better partner you got. Not to mention the better reputation to obtained. In the end Eugene won, being far too quick for Ned to be able to land any decent blows, but the crowd roared at the end nonetheless. They were both desirable partners for sure. 

Pairs continued to go up and duel, each seeming as equally impressive as the last. As each pair went up I felt the growing pit of dread in my stomach expand, causing me to dig my fingernails into my palms. I tried to calm the breath rattling in my chest, desperate to stop myself from wheezing like an idiot. I sunk further into my seat, trying to disappear. 

_Maybe he won't get to me today- maybe he'll skip right over me._

The pair that was currently dueling finished. That Sara girl had ended up winning with an ability to bring drawings to life versus a dude named Steven who could create random shit out of gold. It was an odd match but an interesting one nonetheless. Sara was definitely way more cool then I previously gave her credit for, i'd have to apologize for that later- if I survive this first. My thoughts are interrupted as Mr.Wales eye's land on me. My heart nearly skids to a stop right then and there.

"Well, well, well look who it is! C'mon up Ryan Bergara!" 

_Shit._

My heart just about burst out of my chest as I shakily made my way down to the platform, painfully aware of all of the eyes on me. Mr.Wales clapped a hand against my back, causing me to nearly jump a full foot into the air in surprise. He rolled his eyes and looked back into the crowd, picking out another random kid. The dude clambered down to the platform, looking oddly out of place surrounded by the other specials. He was abnormally tall, with long skinny limbs that looked like they would snap in the slightest breeze. He wasn't the picture of perfect conditioning and poise that one might expect from an academy student. Mr.Wales seemed to notice this as well, as his eyes were narrowed in a critical glare. 

"What's the name noodle arms?" He held the mic up to the kid, who offered a small smirk. It seemed oddly...confident. I hated it. 

"Shane Madej Sir." 

"Well Madej, you ready to go up against a big shot here like Bergara?"

"I think i've got it handled." The kid shot me a small glance, eyes teeming with a teasing glint. I gritted my teeth, face getting hot. _Cocky asshole._

Mr.Wales stepped back and blew the whistle, I forgot my anxiety then, my energy now focused on beating this kids ass. I sidestepped, trying to see what his first move would be, but he followed suit. We both paced in a circle, eyes fixed on each other from across the platform. I waited a few beats before darting forward, swinging a punch, he ducked beneath it and rushed past me, toward the edge of the platform. I dove after him but he ducked beneath my arms and sent me skidding toward the edge of the platform where it ducked down into a dark pit. I spun around to face him but he was backing up, smirking again with that dumb fucking smiling. I went to step forward but something stopped my leg. My feet were ripped out from under me and I slammed into the hard metal floor. I looked back to find dark tendrils snaking their way around my feet, rising from the pit of the arena. I yelped and pulled away from them, trying to kick the shadowy snakes away. I escaped their grasp and stood up, stumbling back in surprise, I felt a tap on my shoulder and spun around to Shane's fist, enveloped in shadow punching me in the jaw. I fell back, a chorus of laughter echoing around the arena. I grunted as he grabbed my shirt, crouching down over me. 

"Feel free to use your powers too " He smirked again and I huffed, wrapping my legs around his waist and rolling back, slamming him down headfirst into the floor. He yelped in surprise and I sprung back up, only to see him rise again, shadows gathering around his limbs. He extended a hand and a tendril shot at me, I ducked and ran at him aiming for his chest, I wrapped my arms around, only to be flung aside by one of the slithering shadows. I hit the ground hard, feeling pain explode in my shoulder as I rolled. He walked over to me, hands in his pockets like it was nothing. He tilted his head, peering down at me with a...bored look. "Any day now."

I could have tried to astral project, maybe it would have worked if I concentrated hard enough. But the chance was one in a million, and somehow failing at that would have been a lot more embarrassing then not trying at all. I could hear the murmurs echoing through the arena, curious glances likely being exchanged between the specials, all wondering the same thing. 

What was Ryan Begaras power?

Part of me just wanted to lay down there and just say "Fuck it! I'm a loser just kill me!" and get the whole ordeal over with. Whatever these people were expecting they weren't going to get. All of this anticipation to see what Night Owl's kid was going to do- all for nothing. Yet- this Shane kid. He was looking at me like he knew I was a fuck up all along. This whole arena was waiting for me to kick this guys ass, while he was acting like he knows damn well that I can't. And I can't stand it. Sure having this whole arena laugh at me for being an utter failure was bad enough, but to prove this one guy right seemed way too shitty on a whole new level. Sure the guy was right, there was no way I was winning against him and his stupid (yet utterly cool) shadow powers, but still, I didn't want him to know that. So I got back up and huffed, shaking the mess of sweaty black hair from my eyes and chuckling. 

"That all you got?"

Shane took this as his cue an began shooting tendril after tendril of shadows after me as I ducked away from each one, moving across the arena in quick carefully placed movements. One of the tendrils caught me by the hip and I stumbled, falling down by a small puddle of Ned's radioactive sweat. I looked down at the bubbling green liquid and smirked, an idea snaking through my mind. I stood back up, waiting for another tendril to dive for me, I rolled out of the way, letting it glide through the puddle, catching some of the goo as it went. I raced back toward Shane, the shadowy hand following me as I dove at him. Another tendril shot toward me and I jumped on top of it, leaping up into the air above the arena, I could almost touch the flaming "Shane Vs. Ryan" that hung above the platform. The shadow hand lurched toward me, but I curled up midair so it soared past me, just barely ghosting along my side and instead lurching into the flaming letters. The hand covered in Ned's goo met the flames and well you could probably guess this next part- it exploded. 

There was a flurry of heat and light behind me as the explosion rang through the arena. I was practically pelted back to the ground by the force of it and landed hard, struggling to land a sloppy roll as I hit the earth. I looked back up to see the fire snake back up along the shadow limb toward Shane, where he released the shadows from his arm and ducked back before the shadow limb exploded in a puff of dark fumes. Shane fell on his back, grunting in surprise and reaching up to shield his gaze from the blast. I almost celebrated being able to catch my opponent off guard, when I realized I probably went a bit overboard, as the stands surrounding the area had actually caught fire. Horrified students screamed and scattered away from the flames, meanwhile frantic staff hurried to put out the fire. I stood on the still smoldering platform and looked around at the carnage I had caused, that same boiling hot embarrassment from before weaving its way back into my chest. I looked back at Shane, who was still on the ground looking dazed, the orange glare from the flames glowing on his pale skin as he looked around, eyes widened a bit in poorly disguised bewilderment. My satisfaction with his reaction was short lived however as a large hand grabbed the back of my shirt and yanking me back toward the exit. I could only glance up at Mr.Wales face, which was bright red with fury before focusing my eyes on my feet, looked onto the ground in Shame. I swear though I could feel Shane's eyes on me as I was dragged out of the arena, and I would have smiled if the circumstances were any different.

~

I sat outside the headmaster's office, wringing my hands together anxiously as I waited anxiously for a verdict. Several people came in and out but I couldn't move my eyes from off of the floor, I could barely breathe, let alone move. I took a deep breath and after about 10 minutes I finally lifted my head up to look around the small reception area. It was pretty basic, tan walls and a wooden floor. On the walls there were photos of previous headmasters, all staring with a grimly determined expression. I felt their scathing gaze on my skin and quickly diverted my attention back to my shoes, shaking my right leg profusely.

_Leave it to me to get expelled on my first day._

The headmaster's door opened with a creak and my head jerked up to see my mother sauntering out of the room, her boots clicking against the wooden floor. She paused at the doorway, shaking the headmasters hand and offering a wide smile and a hushed comment before closing the door behind her. She looked at me and shook her head, her expression reading nothing but sheer disappointment. 

"So- Uh...am I expelled?" The words tumbled out, my voice shaking as I met her gaze, my eyes quickly flicking back to my palms. I heard her sigh and walk over to me, grabbing my chin and tilting my head up, forcing me to meet her dark eyes.

"No of course not, no thanks to you of course. Now c'mon what did I say about eye contact?" 

_Holding eye contact shows that you're sure of yourself. Don't look so nervous Ryan._

"Right-Sorry." I tried to stop my voice from shaking but failed. She sighed again, long and loudly before giving my shoulder a small squeeze.

"Ryan honey calm down, really you look silly getting all worked up. Now look you got lucky today but next time I won't be able to rush down here and save you. Do try and avoid blowing anything else up alright?" I could only muster a small nod. She cleared her throat and let go of my shoulder, striding toward the exit, her black coat drifting behind her, reminding me vaguely of her famous cape. She gave a curt goodbye to the receptionist and disappeared through the exit. I swallowed hard, trying to gather myself enough to be able to exit the room without falling over. I gripped the arms of the chair hard and slowly stood, feeling the world dip beneath my feet. This whole day has been a damn nightmare. I really should have just let them expel me, then I could have left with a kinda cool reputation and just been a dentist instead. Now I have to actually go and face all of the kids I just somewhat terrorized and the thought of it makes me sick to my stomach. Before I have time to pass out however my attention is drawn by someone clearing their throat at the doorway. 

"I want a rematch." I look up to find Shane Madej looming in the doorway, hunched over slightly due to his height and looking oddly goblin like under the harsh white lighting of the reception area. I forced myself to stand up straight, ignoring the sickness bubbling in my stomach. 

"Sore loser much?" I smirked, leaning against the wall for some extra support for my shaking limbs. I crossed my legs, trying to look cool.

"Hah!" He scoffed, a chuckle escaping his thin lips. "I didn't lose, they never announced a winner." He snapped a single finger gun at me. "So technically, it was a tie."

"Yeah sure, whatever" I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms for good measure. "I totally won."

"We tied."

"Won"

"Tied!- Look either way I want a rematch. I proper one, no-explosions or anything." 

I couldn't help but laugh.

"What, not a fan of explosions?" 

"Oh no I am, when they're fair."

"It was completely fair!"

"You didn't even use your powers!"

The receptionist shot us a harsh glare as we raised our voices. I sighed heavily and untangled my limbs. Part of me knew I shouldn't push any further, I wouldn't win in a rematch. I knew that, no point even hassling this guy he was right-

"You're just afraid you'll lose."

But god he's such an asshole.

"Alright fine, you're on." I regretted it as soon as I said it, my chest getting tighter at the thought of going in the arena again. 

"Really?" His cocky facade seemed to drop and his shoulders slumped, making his goblin like appearance all the more convincing. "Didn't think you'd actually want too-"

"So you're saying you're backing out?" Said Ryan, obviously not thinking like the dumbass that he is. 

"No, no" He put up his hands in a dismissive fashion. "If you insist." 

"Haha, very funny" My voice is dripping with sarcasm as I stand back up, rolling my eyes. "See you in the arena Madej" I stride toward the door, brushing past him and feeling mildly like a badass as I saunter into the hallway, hands in my pockets. 

"See you then Bergara!" He shouts to me, I flip him the finger over my shoulder and he laughs, sending a shiver of anger up my spine at the thought of him thinking of this as a joke. 

He may think it's funny, but his ass is going down. That much i'm sure of as I stride down the steps back into the courtyard of the academy. For the first time since arriving there, my hands aren't shaking as I head to my dorm, I can even muster a smile at Sara, who smiles at me as I pass her in the courtyard. I didn't have time to be afraid, not while i'm brainstorming all of the ways I can kick shane Madej's ass.

~

"Kick Shane Madej's ass?" Sara laughed, then quickly covered her mouth when she realized everyone else in our weaponry class could hear her. She leaned down speaking more quietly. "Ryan if it wasn't for that explosion he would have ate you for dinner!"

"Well yeah I know but-" I scoffed, leaning back in my chair. "Just forget it."

A faint giggle sounded from the younger girl and I cast her a confused look. SHe shook her head and leaned her cheek on her hand. 

"Oh nothing just...just thought that this was all-" She gestured around the room dramatically. "Nothing you weren't used too."

I groaned internally and put my face in my hands. 

"Sorry that was a dick move-"

"Yeah it really was."

I looked up to apologise but saw a mischievous smirk on her lips. I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck. "You're right i'm probably being too hasty about this whole- kicking his ass thing."

"No I mean I totally think you should, he sounds like a douche."

"Really?" I was almost hopeful. 

"But so are you." She grinned and I laughed, muffling it with my hand. 

"I am not! I was just nervous a-alright"

"Sorry I can't hear you- could you speak up?" She leaned in closer to me, her grin spreading wider. I cursed internally.

"I was nerv-"

"Huh?"

"I was nervous!" I nearly shouted. The whole class spun around to glare at us and we both had to suppress our laughter. Sara sighed and shook her head, pushing some loose curls out of her eyes. 

"Look Ryan whatever little rivalry you've got going on- i'd love to help but that Shane guy could totally kick my ass so i'm gonna have to remain neutral on this one." The electronic alarm went off to signal the end of class. She got up and started gathering her things. "Plus he's way cooler then you are."

I know she was just teasing but my chest tightened a bit at the thought of it. I gave a small nod and swallowed hard, grabbing my things. When I looked up Sara had already darted off down the hall. I almost chased after her but then I noticed Shane walking along the opposite wall. He was reading something I didn't recognize, his nose buried in the book. Part of me wanted to stomp over there and demand the rematch right then and there. 

But I didn't. I watched him pass and took a breath. 

_C'mon Bergara you have more important things to worry about then one douchebag._

I turned and headed in Sara's direction, trying to follow the other girl. But still a part of me felt the aching urge to look back at Shane. To answer that dumbass challenge he left me and end this whole "rivalry" now. But no- I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of my attention. 

Not that it even mattered anyways. He wasn't even looking my way as I left the hallway and stole once last sneaky glance in his direction.

What? I had to check. Just in case he was looking.

Just in case. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on updating so soon lmao but I got hella sick (we stan those womanly problems) so I figured while i'm trapped in bed I would go ahead and keep going. I'm gonna actually get the story moving this chapter now that i've played around with it a bit so buckle up buckaroos get ready for some mystery ;))
> 
> Also I went back and edited some of the first chapter just to add some extra spicy details for anyone who read the first draft sorry!!! You can go back and check it out if you want I didn't change too much

_A long hallway stretched in front of me, bathed in red light. I couldn't find the lightsource, but the sharp scarlet tone stung my eyes. There were dark rooms all around me, dark, dark, dark. Not a comforting dark like the deep shadows of a cloudy evening, this was the type of darkness that seemed to stretch on for miles, the kind that would suck you in if you stepped too close. I walked past the rooms, they made me nervous. I could hear my heartbeat pulsating through the room._

_Thump, thump, thump._

_The hallway seemed to get longer and longer the more I moved. I could feel something behind me, I don't know what it is but it's looming presence made me move faster. My feet thudded against the floor, a symphony of my racing heart and thundering feet swell into the room. My chest aches, my heart is beating so fast it hurts._

_Thump, thump, thump, thump._

_It's getting closer, I can feel it's hot breath on my neck. I want to scream but nobody would hear it, not with my heart beating so loudly. I start to cry but I can't feel any tears come. My feet are wet though. The floor now damp with god knows what. I'm getting close to the end of the hall. There's a door, just barely cracked open. A white light seeps out from the cracks. I can get there, just a few more feet I just have to keep going._

_Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._

_I slip on the wet floor. I fall but the ground slips away. I'm falling, falling, falling into that deep black dark. I reach for something to hold on to but nothing's there. I scream but all that comes out is the sound of my pulse, my heart is lodged in my throat. Something catches me. I stop falling. I know what it is but it's still to dark too see. I want away from it, but it's all around me. I cough and cough but my heart is stuck._

_THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP._

_There's a sharp pain and then warmth. My back is- I'm bleeding. I can feel the blood spurting from my back with every beat of my heart. It's gone now. Now I lay in the darkness, blood pooling around me and filling the dark. I think I might drown. But my back hurts so much I don't care. Let me drown. Let me drown._

_~_

I wake up with a gasp, body shaking and covered in sweat. My fists grip my bed sheets, knuckles going white from the effort. I gag, my throat aches. Everything aches. I try to catch my breath. To stop wheezing like a damn idiot. 

_Just a dream Ryan, breathe._

I cough again, the dry sound echoing through the quiet room. I glance over to the bed on the other side of the small dorm, it's empty, the pale blue morning light from outside casting a dull shadow on his sheets through the blinds. I wasn't surprised, Andrew was barely ever here, he went to bed late and left early, usually never even saying a word. I didn't mind though I liked having the room to myself. Well, most of the time.

Now was one of those times the small room felt unbearably empty. The silence hung heavy like a blanket, the weight of it seeming to pin me to my tiny bed. As much bullshit as my mom put me through I couldn't help but long for her presence now. Somebody there to bring me back to earth after a night terror. Without her around I'm stuck scrambling in the dimly lit room, trying to find something to drag me back to reality. 

It was cold, the chill of autumn finally crept onto the campus after the first week of school. I could feel myself shuddering, despite being coated in sweat. I slid off the bed and scrambled for my suitcase to grab some warmer clothes. I tossed all of my clothes on the floor as I searched for something to wear. I really should unpack sometime, but some part of me still felt like this was a temporary engagement, like any moment they'd finally get the sense to kick me off campus.  _Well while you're here you mind as well get your shit organized dumbass._ I shrugged away my inner monologue and just stuffed everything back in the suitcase once I found my hoodie and slid on my slides before heading down the hall to the showers.

You'd think with such a high tech school they'd get on suite bathrooms, but nope floor bathrooms. Luckily I was up at the crack of dawn so nobody really was inside so I shuffled into a stall and turned on the hot water, relishing the warmth as it hit my skin. I sunk into the feeling, closing my eyes and letting my mind drift back to my dream. 

_Dreams have meanings Ryan, be sure to always pay attention._

I try to remember the dream the best that I can. Most of it was standard for my terrors, the long hallway with the monster lurking behind me. Never drowned in my own blood before, that was new, so was the choking on my heart thing. There was also the ending, the part that stayed the same no matter what dream I was having. 

_A knife to the back._

My back felt sore as the hot water hit it, I bit back a groan as I rubbed the familiar sore spot. Right in the middle of my lower back. Every night without fail for months I've been brutally murdered via stabbing. At first I been convinced that I was going to get shanked, but of course.

_Dreams aren't always so literal._

My phone buzzed from outside the stall, Fuck I must have left it on the sink. I quickly scrubbed myself down and wrapped a towel around me before stepping out and picking it up, groaning as the water droplets from my hair hit the screen. I wiped it away and saw a message from Sara. She always texted me every now and then, usually asking about stuff from training. She's not quite as physically trained as some of the other heroes so she tends to fall behind. Not that I mind her texting me, she's one of the only kids who would talk to me after the first day. I'm pretty sure everyone is scared shitless of me at this point, which I don't blame them as I did burn off a few of their eyebrows. Sara didn't seem to mind though, she thought the whole ordeal was pretty cool, not to mention she thought that my "rivalry" with Shane was adorable. Not that it even was a rivalry. If it was it was awful one sided. No matter how many judgy looks I cast his way in between classes he never seems to be looking. But whatever, who cares. I sure don't.

I glanced up in the mirror and saw I was flushed, getting pissed just thinking about him. I shook the feeling away and clicked on the message.

**SARA: _HEY!_**

**SARA: rYAN!**

**SARA: _RYAN YOU DUMBASS CHECK YOUR PHONE._**

**I scoffed and tapped back, struggling a bit with my wet fingers.**

**RYAN: _Why the hell are you up so early?_**

**SARA: _WHY THE HELL ARE YOU UP SO LATE?_**

**RYAN: _?????_**

**SARA: _THEY'RE ANNOUNCING PARTNERS TODAY, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?_**

**RYAN: _s h i t._**

I quickly threw on my sweatshirt, yanking on a pair of jeans, still zipping them up as I stumbled out of the bathroom. I darted out into the cold courtyard, shuddering as my still wet hair hit the chilly air. I raced across the courtyard to the arena, where students had already filled up most of the seats. I looked around frantically until I spotted Sara's head of bouncy curls and rushed over, pushing past other mortified specials to get to the seat Sara had saved. There were other kids with her, all chatting with her when I arrived. When they saw me they all went deathly quiet. Surprisingly Andrew was there, unsurprisingly he didn't say a word when I sat down. Sara looked between me and her other friends and coughed, trying to break the tension. I gave them a small wave and went to retrieve my phone from my pocket in order to escape social interaction the best that I could only to find that it wasn't there. 

"Damn it" I muttered under my breath, running a hand through my hair. 

"Whats up?" Sara cast me a concerned glanced and I shook my head. 

"Just left my phone in the bathroom-"

"You can use mine if you like!" Another kid piped up, sitting next to andrew. He was asian, with (really nice) grey hair that was carefully styled and tucked out of his (extremely cute) face. He smiled, it was so bright that it was borderline obnoxious. However it did successfully make my stomach twist in a way I would prefer that it didn't. 

"No that's okay!" I laughed a bit as he deflated, seeming defeated by my refusal. Andrew cast me a cold look over his shoulder and I got the sneaking suspicion that I wasn't the only one currently entranced by the unbearably stunning grey haired fellow. "Thanks though uh-"

"Steven!" He perked up again, he reminded me a bit of a puppy, the way he was bouncing around in his seat. 

"Oh right you dueled Sara!" The gold kid. What a weird fucking power. 

"Mhm, she royally kicked my ass right Sare Bear?" He nudged her with his elbow and she rolled her eyes. Realizing she wasn't going to humor him he turned back to me. "That was pretty crazy the thing you did at your duel. Andrew was scared shitless right bud?" 

Andrew did not look like the type to get scared shitless, but I didn't comment on that. 

"Oh yeah that- yeah not the best decision on my part."

"I mean I don't blame you, shit if I was up against that Shane kid I would have done anything too, that kinda shadow manipulation is whew!" Sara and Andrew (and the other guy who had been silent for most of this ordeal, focusing more on his nails then the conversation) nodded. The silent guy seemed to notice me for the first time and blinked in surprise.

"Oh shit you're-"

"Yes he's Night Owls kid, he's famous or whatever c'mon guys don't be rude" Sara waved the guy off, who blushed a bit and went back too looking at his nails. "Ignore Curly he's a mess." She grabbed my arm and whispered. "Also don't tell him literally anything cause everyone will find out."

"Heard that!"

Sara rolled her eyes and I couldn't help but laugh. 

"You know I heard that Shane didn't even attend any other hero schools before going here, that he had like some secret private tutor like somebody from the council" Steven leaned in closer to us, lowering his voice as he gossiped. The thought of Shane knowing someone from the council made me almost shudder. I mean it made sense, most of the heroes council were total stuck up pricks, he'd fit right in.

"No I heard that he went to that academy up in Texas, same place where that Eugene guy went." Sara piped up and Curly let a long sigh.

"That Eugene guy is F-I-N-E"

"I know!" Steven practically swooned, fanning himself as if it were suddenly hot, earning a chorus of laughter from the group. Except from Andrew, who just blushed and looked away. Poor sap.

"I mean Shanes pretty good looking too-" Sara added, casting me a teasing glance. 

"That's cause you like white guys sweetheart." Curly chipped in.

Sara opened her mouth to give a retort but came up silent. The others laughed but I felt like i'd been punched. I leaned down to Sara and talked quietly so the others couldn't hear. 

"You don't like...like that Shane guy do you?"

"Oh no, no. I'm not really looking for something like that here anyway. Plus i'm pretty sure I heard that he was making out with some dude at one of those first day parties last week." She squeezed my shoulder. "But hey that's good news for you right Ry?" She wiggled her eyebrows and I almost threw up in my mouth. 

"Oop!" Curly, who had obviously been eavesdropping covered his mouth and giggled. Sara swatted him away. 

I laughed, feeling for the first time since arriving there like I could breathe. Like really breathe, not angrily huffing the way that Shane made me do when he asked for that rematch, this was good,  like finally getting fresh air. 

"Attention!" The dragons booming voice echoed through the arena. We all perked up, turning our focus toward the hero standing in the arena. Excitement bubbled in my stomach. "As you all know it's time for pairing, I'm sure all of you should know how this works but some of you are idiots so i'll go over it again. When you're paired with someone you'll be training with them for the remainder of your time at the academy. Once your paired the decision is final and permanent so you cannot change it. Your partner will also be the one competing in the school competitions to decide your rankings." There were cheers from the crowd at the mention of the competitions. "Yeah yeah I know exciting stuff- look if you want a good ranking you and your partner better become best buds alright!" The crowd cheers and Mr.Wales passes the mic over to another teacher who places it on a podium. From the entrance the headmaster is ushered in.

Aside from seeing her in her office I hadn't really know what she looked like. She was absolutely stunning. She was and icy pale, with white skin and white dreadlocks, cascading down her shoulders. Her eyes were a pale gray, faded over and dull, the dragon took her hand when she got close and led her to the podium. A deathly quiet fell over the room as she spoke. 

"Good morning and welcome to your pairing ceremony!" Her voice was smooth, flowing through the room like water. The arena paused for a moment, letting her voice simmer. I don't recall pausing. It was like someone pressed pause on my mind. Suddenly everyone broke into cheers, after the odd delay. The room seemed oddly bright but I shook the feeling away. "I know we're all excited but please try and remain quiet while the ceremony proceeds. Now for the first pair!" There was another chorus of cheers and the ceremony began. In pairs (duh) of two, specials were called up to meet their new partner. For a few minutes it was names I didn't recognize. Eugene was paired up with some scrawny kid named Zach, which earned some whispers from the crowd. After a bit Sara got called up with some girl Tania. Tania looked unbearably more cool then Sara but they seemed like a decent enough pairing. I felt antsy waiting for my name to be called, bouncing my leg with each passing second.

"Steven Lim and...Andrew Ilnyckyj!" There was a squeal of excitement to my right and Steven raced down to the podium, dragging Andrew behind him. I could almost catch a ghost of a smile on Andrews usually cold expression. There pairing was especially cute with Steven bouncing around like an over excited puppy, I couldn't help but let the anticipation get to me. Millions of thoughts raced through my mind, my eyes flicking around the specials sitting around me, wondering which one of these poor saps was gonna get stuck with me.

"Curly Velasquez and Jazzmyne Robbins" Curly darted past us and down to meet another girl who I didn't recognize. I huffed and leaned forward on my hands, being the last one left of the little group. More and more names were called and I was still waiting to get mine. Or the other name I had been waiting to hear.

"Shane Madej!-"

 _Hah, feel bad for the sucker who gets stuck with that asshole._ I perked up, waiting to see what other poor unfortunate soul got called. Man I couldn't imagine-

"And Ryan Bergara!" 

If I hadn't known any better, I would say I had a heart attack. 

My entire world skidded to a stop, the murmurs from the crowd turning into white noise as I stared down at the podium.

Maybe I didn't hear them right-

Maybe they just-

Fuck.

I saw dozens of expectant eyes on me so I rose up, walking with unsteady legs down to the podium. I felt like I got deja-vu, watching Shane descend from the other side of the arena, stepping down the stairs with his obnoxiously long limbs and that dumb look on his face. We met in the middle and he extended his hand. I paused, looking up at his smug expression and had to resist the urge to backhand him right then and there. Our hands met and the Dragon stepped forward, placing electronic looking wrist cuffs on each of our arms, it snapped closed with a metallic click and both lit up with bright red lines forking through the metal. Shane leaned down close to where only I could hear. 

"We're gonna have to postpone that rematch."

I barked out a harsh laugh and shook my head, trying to suppress the anger bubbling up in my stomach. 

_This cannot be happening._

But it was most certainly happening. They ushered us aside to sit together with the other pairs. I looked up at the electronic board hanging above the arena and saw our names appear on the board next to the word "unranked." I swallowed hard and looked up at my taller partner _,_ who was watching the other pairs line up. I tried to convince myself that this guy wasn't that bad, that maybe I was being dramatic, maybe we got off on the wrong foot-

"I just wanted to let you know-" He suddenly snapped his gaze to me, now chewing on his bottom lip almost nervously. It bugged me but I decided not to say anything. "That I take my rank here very seriously-"

"And so do I"

"Right well-" He shot me an accusatory look and I narrowed my eyes. 

"What?"

"With how our duel went-"

"The duel that I won!"

He scoffed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. Part of me felt satisfied with being able to frustrate him. 

"Look whatever I just- for us to get high in the ranks we both have to work hard"

"Are you saying I won't?" I snapped, he didn't seem bothered by it. 

"No I didn't-don't put words in my mouth dude I was just saying I need us to be good." Our eyes met, despite how much I already despised this guy, the way he looked at me then was kinda fucking awesome. There was a fire there. Something dark and coiled in the back of his gaze. It reminded me of being wrapped up in his shadows. His gaze was similar in the way it grabbed you. 

"Of course" I muttered, quickly turning my eyes away. "We'll be fucking amazing"

He chuckled softly, a quiet little sound and turned away. Last week I had been hell bent on kicking this guys ass. Now that seems to be out of the cards- but this dude obviously isn't playing around-

_I'll just show him that i'm not either._

_~_

That night after the ceremony everyone met up with their partners to grab food or hang out. Shane dipped almost as soon as they released us, leaving me completely alone. I looked around at all the other pairs milling about and my chest twisted.  _Great, another thing to look forward too at this fucking school._ I felt someone wrap an arm over my shoulders and I was surprised to see Steven's big smiling face looking down at me. 

"Sorry you got the mega douche! Not everyone is quite so lucky like me and Andrew here!" Steven chuckled as Andrew glanced up from his phone, gave a small wave then looked back. 

"Yeah it's-it's whatever." I sighed dejectedly and looked between Steven and Andrew. Even just standing together they made sense. They looked like a pair, the kind you would see out fighting crime on the news together. Once they graduated I bet i'd see them on dozens of comic book covers. Steven and Andrew, a match made in fucking heaven.

"Hey c'mon Ryan don't feel so bad about it- they pick people for a reason i'm sure you two will work out fine!" Steven smiled again. I swear if he smiled any further his face would get stuck. 

"Yeah well you two already act like your best friends that's easy for you to say." I scoffed, not caring now that I probably sounded like a whiny kid. 

"We are" Andrew interjected, not looking away from his phone. 

"Well I mean yeah- we went to the same highschool-"

"You've got to be kidding me!" I laugh out bitterly, shaking my head. "I get stuck with the one dude in the school I can't stand and you get your bestie from high school!" I snapped angrily. Steven flinched back, looking a little hurt. I sighed heavily. "Sorry didn't mean to snap at you Steven I just-"

_You know what, fuck this._

_"_ I gotta talk to the headmaster-" I started backing up, making up my mind even as Steven began trying to convince me otherwise. 

"Ryan you know they don't change the pairings once they decide-" Steven looked at me with wide eyes, even Andrew casted me and odd look.

"I know but I just- catch you later Steven, oh you too Andrew!" I turned around, listening to their quiet goodbyes over my shoulder and darted off toward the headmasters office, hell set on getting and explanation. 

~

The receptionist wasn't in the office when I arrived. I looked around the empty office, wondering if I should just wait outside or- my eyes caught on the bookshelf setting outside the headmaster's office. I recognized a few of them from my mom's library, lot's of books about the war. I walked over, eyes flicking over the titles.  _'Men Vs. Gods the war of specials and normals', 'Who really won? A retelling of the struggles of post war life for specials', 'The council of heroes, a government agency or a dictatorship?'._ I sighed, turning my eyes away from the selection. My mom was going on about the war, I knew those books practically front to back by now-

"Look I know about the rules but Miranda-"

Voices could be heard from the headmasters office. My eyes flicked to the door which was partially open. I thought maybe I should go sit outside but the volume raised. 

"Enough! I will not have you discriminate against one of our students! His origin is none of your business!" The headmasters voice rang out through the room, I shivered, it was like the temperature drop when she spoke. "Now go and do your job and teach! If I catch you looking through my-"

"I had too! None of us know where this kid came from. No wonder you kept it a secret you know how many of these teachers would riot if they found out-!" A shrill man's sounded frail and shaky next to the headmasters.

"And that's why we kept it confidential! This student deserves just as much of an education as any other now please-"

I moved forward to hear better but bumped into the bookshelf, sending one of the books cascading to the floor. The office went silent and they exchanged a few more hushed words before a man exited the room. He was small and mouselike, with a head of long scraggly hair and a face covered in scars. He cast me a judging glare before leaving the office in a hurry, buttoning his worn down coat as he went. I fumbled to put the book back, hoping to just sneak off before-

"Ryan Bergara, do come in." I mentally cursed as the headmaster called my name. I put the book down and walked inside, trying to stop my hands from shaking. She didn't turn toward me, her eyes were settled upon her hands on the desk, where she strummed her pale fingers along the wood. After a brief moment she turned her head toward me, and tilted her head almost expectantly. 

"Look Miss i'm sorry to have eavesdropped I just-" My words fell out in a jumbled mess, she gestured slightly with her hand and my mouth was glued shut. My lips felt cold, in fact, the whole room felt cold. Freezing even.

"No worries Mr.Bergara. It was unprofessional behavior on me and Mr. Montgomery's part either way." She pressed her lips into a thin smile and I felt my mouth relax. She leaned back in her chair, folding her hands on top of her walking stick. "Do sit."

I pulled out the chair in front of the desk and sat down, taking the moment to look around her office. I could see several pictures of her when she was younger scattered around the room, most from when she served on the council. I could almost remember her looking so vibrant when I was very young, attending council meetings with my mom when I was just a little kid. She looked similar now, except for the eyes, the eyes gave away her age. In the photos they're bright and blue, full of hope and steely determination. The woman in front of me now looked worn, tired. But I didn't blame her, most council members looked like that these days. I realized I was staring at her and flicked my gaze away, then flushed realizing she wouldn't have noticed anyway. I cleared my throat and tried to pick out the words carefully. 

"I suspect this is about your pairing, is it not?" She smiled again, they felt around her desk until her hand landed on a small glass bowl, she pushed it toward me, it had little candies in them. I glanced at the sweets and bit my lip, looking back at her. 

"Oh uhm- no thank you." She shrugged and grabbed a sweet for herself, unwrapping it slowly as I spoke. "Look I respect the choice that Mr.Wales made for me- but I can't say that I uh...I understand it. I don't think we would make a very good team cause he's very uh-" I pressed my hands together, feeling them begin to quiver. "And i'm very-" I gulped. "Ya know-" There was a long pause, the headmistress held the candy in her hand for a brief moment before popping it in her mouth and nodding. 

"I understand"

Relief washed over me. 

"See I knew you wood, see Mr.Wales is an extremely smart guy don't get me wrong but I don't quite get what he was thinking-"

"Actually Ryan I personally made that pairing for you." 

I almost did a double take. 

"You did-" A nervous laugh escaped my lips. "Oh."

She chuckled and leaned forward again, folding her hands under her chin. "Ryan I have been doing this for a very long time. I know a good team when I see one." She winked and began standing up. "I assure you, things will work out." 

I was standing up as well but I didn't quite understand why. A chill crept down my spine. 

"I just was hoping to get more of an explanation cause see I-"

"Ryan." Her voice went stern. I froze completely, like my bones were covered in ice. She met my gaze, her vacant stare glaring into mine. "Just give it time." There was a heavy pause, where all I could feel was a deep terrible cold. Then she gave a small dismissive gesture and I was leaving the room. 

"Wait miss-!"

"We can speak another time Bergara, my sincerest apologies!" I wanted to stay, keep talking. But instead I was closing the door behind me. I lingered in the doorway, shuddering from the cold. But the office was warm. I felt like antifreeze was pumping through my blood stream. I shuddered and backed away from the door, looking at the headmistresses name plate sitting on the door, feeling a bit frustrated and more confused then I had been when I came in. But I pulled up my hood and left the office, back into the natural cold of the winter air. Somehow, that felt warmer then the chill currently lingering under my skin. I couldn't even shake that chill, even as I slid under my bed sheets I could feel the remnants of it pulsating through me. The headmistress's words echoed through my skull.

_Just give it time._

Yeah. Maybe I just needed to wait it out. 

Part of me wondered if that was my own mind doing the thinking. The other part of me just figured I was tired. 

Then there was another part of me that realized that I never got my phone back from the bathroom.

But all of me was way too tired to care. 

~

Night Owl sat at her desk, groaning as she answered call after call from the council. She kicked her feet up on her desk, leaning back as she squabbled on for what must be the third time that day about the budget for this years heroes ball. She looked dejectedly at her cell phone, wondering faintly why her son hadn't decided to text her very much these last few days-

Like an answer to her prayers her phone lit up with a message, a soft smile settled on her tan face as she leaned over to check the text.

"Shut the hell up Ron I have another call"

She clicked the other phone off and grinned as her sons name popped up on the screen of her cell. Her nail clicked on the glass screen as she opened the message.

**BABY BIRD: _Hey mom, just wanted to check in and see how everything's going! Sorry i've been so busy lol._**

**BABY BIRD: _Actually it's late I shouldn't be bugging you, I'll text you in the morning. Goodnight love you!_**

Night Owl smirked as the light of her phone screen lit up her dim office. She texted a quick reply and set the phone back down, not being able to help herself from smiling. 

He hadn't said I love you in such a long time. It was odd that he would now but...she didn't mind. Not one bit.

~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohohoho spooky  
> I'll let ya'll know for my mystery lovers out there that Ryan's dreams are always going to be relevant in some way to the story ;)) hope you likey and let me know if you did or if you've got any theories about what's gonna happen cause I would love to be able to hear what you guys think.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof its been a hot minute my bad for those of you who have been waiting for an update (I don't know why this thing kinda sucks rn) i've been hella busy with work and what not so i'll try my best to update more often, and maybe try making the chapters longer to make up for lack of updates?? idk we'll see.

_I was back in that hallway again. All of the doors still shut. Except now at the end, there was no door, just a dark doorway full of shadows. I walked slowly this time, reaching the end and halting at the threshold into the pitch black room. I wanted to step inside, the shadows drawing me in with a pull of icy cold air. I stepped inside, letting the darkness wrap around me, blanketing me in this odd feeling I couldn't quite describe, it reminded me of TV static the way it simmered on my skin. Then- through the darkness, a single light cut through the shadows. I looked forward, squinting my eyes to see and saw my phone laying on the floor. I rushed forward, drawn to the phone like a moth to a flame, I bent down to pick it up and it began to ring. The sound echoed around me, loud and causing me to cover my ears due to the ache it caused. But it just got louder and louder-_

_Crash_

I snapped awake to the sound of glass clattering to the floor. I gasped heavily, eyes flicking to Andrew, who had just knocked a lamp onto the floor with one of the boxes he was carrying. He gave a hushed apology and shuffled out into the hallway. I looked around, bewildered to find several other people shuffling around the room. I grabbed my glasses off the bedside table and blinked in surprise to see Sara perched on the bed opposite of mine, scrolling through her phone. She looked up at me over the edge of her electronic and raised an eyebrow. 

"Bad dream?"

"Yeah, you could say that" I grumbled, running a hand down my face, disgusted to find it coated with sweat. I quickly rubbed in on my bedsheets as I swung my legs over the edge of my bed, stretching them out and groaning. Sara chuckled and slid off the bed, heading over to the mini fridge perched across the room on a counter and began shuffling around most likely for a Root Beer. 

"Yes yes, I'll be there soon- no I won't forget anything- no just stay there I'm fin- alright see you soon," Andrew grumbled from the hallway, returning with a broom and his phone tucked between his ear and shoulder. He started sweeping up the broken lamp, hanging up the phone and tucking it away in his pocket. 

"You guys having another domestic?" Another voice called from our closet, where Jen appeared, running some of my gel through her hair. I would have been mad if I wasn't so tired- plus I loved having Jen around. (Way more than Sara's old partner who had been kicked out for getting into a fight during one of her history classes) She was way into knives- which was terrifying but still, way cooler than most of the people I was hanging out with. 

Andrew didn't answer, just shot Jen a scathing glare and picked up another box, heading back out of the room. Jen chuckled and turned to the mirror hanging on the closet door, messing with her hair. Sara got up and strode past her, messing up her black mane as she went, Jen scoffed and gave Sara a small smack on the side of the head before returning to her task. 

"You know you two really have to stop sneaking up here- it is the guy's dorms you know?" I mumbled groggily, standing up and shuffling to the fridge, having to scoot past Sara and Jen due to the small size of the dorm. I shuffled around inside the cold compartments, finding nothing satisfactory and grunting. "You two are gonna end up getting in trouble." I finally scoff, closing the door of the fridge in defeat. 

"Can't get in trouble if we don't get caught, and I don't think we will unless you plan on ratting us out." Sara hopped onto the counter next to me, sipping a root beer. "Although if that's your plan I could always call Curly-"

"Oh fuck no," I said quickly, earning a laugh from both girls. I knew better than to get on the wrong end of Curly's powers. He could make you spill your life secrets with a wink, or better yet take away your voice for a week. Which, after getting into an argument with him about which of the Jonas Brother's were hotter- I was forced to write down what I was saying on a whiteboard until he decided he forgive me. I shuddered at the thought and sighed, laying my head on the top of the fridge. 

"We're gonna go out for breakfast once Andrew's done, I'm assuming you wanna come?" Jen inquired, now satisfied with her hair. I gave a quick nod and stood back up straight, instead, turning to look around the now mostly vacant room. It was weird having Andrew moving out- we had finally started actually talking after Steven and I became friends- but now he's getting switched so he can live with his partner, just like the rest of the school. 

I grimaced internally at the concept of having to share a room with Shane. The idea of having to sleep across the room from him every night- ugh. I bet he snores. Assholes always snore, it's like they can't get annoying enough during the day when they're awake, so they make sure to piss you off even more at night.

"Earth to Ryan!" My head snapped to Jen, who had apparently been attempting to communicate while I was sulking about my new living conditions. She rolled her eyes at my obviously dazed state and gestured to the last box that was perched on Andrews bed. I mumbled an apology and went to grab it, following the other two out to the hall then down the steps to the courtyard where we had to cross to the opposite building to get to Stevens dorm. I was partially angry at my past self for agreeing to help with the move, I would much rather be in my bed, enjoying my last few hours of solitude until Shane showed up and completely destroyed my life. However, it was kinda fun- oddly normal to be crossing the courtyard in my pajamas, laughing as I watched my three shorter friends struggle with their boxes, cursing the Gods as we made our small journey. 

It was warm outside, warmer than usual for the fall, especially with Winter being so soon. It was weird how the first few weeks of school had passed so quickly- perhaps it was because I spent most of it dicking around with these losers. It was a shame we wouldn't have much time for that soon enough. Once moving day is it over we get our revised schedules and have to spend every waking second with our partners, training together for the heroes trials and what not- soon we'd all be busy training away. At least they all had partners they liked- I was less than pleased but that wasn't going to stop me from getting as high up on that ranking board as I possibly can. Powers or not, i'm gonna kick this schools ass.

At least that's what I kept telling myself- did I believe it? Nope. But it's good to have a positive attitude I suppose. 

Our friendly expedition was halted when we heard some shouting coming from the bottom of the stairwell leading to the second floor of dorms. We all cast worried glances at each other before rushing over, I paused when I caught a glimpse of the scene. It looked like a fight- Zach Kornfeld, the scrawny kid who got paired with Eugene, was sat on the floor, blood dripping from his nose. Eugene, on the other hand, was stood up, facing down a group of angry looking guys, at the front was a dude who looked oddly familiar. 

"Hey guys let's break it up-" I was surprised to see Jen stepping up first, coming between Eugene and the others, Eugene scoffed and stepped back, eyes narrowing angrily at the pack of snarling teens. The one guy, whose name I couldn't quite recall laughed harshly and shoved Jen back, sending her stumbling into Eugene, who caught her by the shoulders. 

"What the fuck are you gonna do? Huh?" The guy snapped, his voice laced with venom, his light eyes flicking between her and Eugene. 

His eyes- 

Brent, his name was Brent. 

A real quiet kid from my dueling class that usually kept to himself. Didn't recognize him without his glasses. This was definitely a change of character from him. But then again, I never really got the chance to talk to him. Now I'm glad I hadn't.

"Hey back off-" Now Andrew was stepping forward, setting down his boxes as he tried to square up with this Brent asshole, which didn't really work as Brent was considerably taller. Brent grinned down at the smaller man and leaned down, practically spitting in Andrew's face. 

"Look the little asshole started it-"

"Oh fuck off!" Eugene retorted, trying to move past Jen who turned around and muttered something only he could hear, he calmed down a bit and took a step back, still flushed with anger as he watched the scene with Andrew and Brent unfold. Sara and I both hung back, unsure of what to do. Sara looked down and noticed Zach still on the floor and went to help him up, I joined Andrew's side, trying to look intimidating but likely failing miserably. Brent looked between the two of us and chuckled, putting his hands up in mock defeat. 

"He got in my way, not looking for a fight just had to make sure the idiot knew to watch where he was going next time." His gaze met mine and I shuddered. Something about him was- off. They looked- glazed over. Like he was tired, or high maybe. Plus his pupils were small, barely visible in the sea of his blue irises. I was taken aback by the sight and flinched away from him, earning a chorus of laughter from the other assholes. 

"Well if that's the case then you can get right on your way- right?" Andrew responded, looking unphased by Brent's cold demeanor. "No need to make- a scene." 

When Andrew said that, something in the air shifted like it was now buzzing with electricity. I felt the hair on my arms begin to stand up. I heard Sara call my name, just barely audibly behind me. But I didn't listen, I just stared at Andrew who just kept on looking at Brent with this unbothered expression. Brent's smile slid off his face and he stepped real close to Andrew, to where their foreheads almost touched. I recoiled a bit, but then reached out and grabbed Andrews arm, just in case I needed to pull him back.

"You trying to tell me what to do prick?" Brent growled. Andrew shook my hand off his arm. Sara called my name again, more urgent. I ignored it again. 

"Maybe I am. You gonna do something about it?"

"Ryan!" Sara practically shouted

I spun around, eyes wide in bewilderment. Sara didn't say anything, just mouthed the words. 

'Get back'

I turned back to Andrew and Brent, taking a hasty step backward before Brent lifted his fist to hit Andrew- the entire air lit up with a flash of electricity and Brent was sent flying back into his pack of goons. I was knocked off my feet, sent falling back into the concrete and knocking over the pile of Andrew's boxes. I grunted as I hit the ground, looking up, surprised to find that Andrew hadn't moved, but the ground beneath his feet was now scorched black, like a circuit shorting out. Andrew was still for a moment, then swayed dangerously. Jen ran up to grab him and pulled him back before Brent got a chance to pick himself back up. Eugene grabbed Zach and ran, giving a quick hushed "thank you" to Andrew before disappearing around the corner of the dorm building. Sara grabbed my arm to pull me to my feet and we all quickly grabbed Andrews boxes, racing up the steps. I could hear a chorus of cursing and shouting from below, but we kept running upward.

~

"What were you thinking!?" Steven scolded, checking over a dazed Andrew with a frantic expression. Andrew didn't respond, looking too exhausted to offer a decent explanation. 

"The asshole had it coming" Jen responded, returning with two bottles of Gatorade. Steven took them and screwed one open, handing it to Andrew who began drinking desperately at the sports drink. "Also what's with the-"

"It's the electrolytes- helps him recharge," Steven responded quickly, sighing as he ran a hand down his face. "And I don't care how much of an asshole he was, you can't just go off like that! Unless absolutely necessary remember!" Steven scoffed, taking the bottle and opening it back up, replacing the now empty one with the new one. The plastic bottle turned to gold as he wrapped his fingers around it, not seeming to notice as he continued to lament his frustrations to his partner. Eventually, he looked down and groaned, waving the bottle around frantically. 

"Now look what you made me do! God!" He smacked the golden Gatorade down on his desk and sighed heavily. "He can't go out to breakfast like this, sorry guys he's usually out of commission for a few hours after a blast like that." He sighed and reached up, running a hand through his friend's brown hair, which was sticking up as if drawn by static. The moment felt oddly intimate so I ripped my gaze away, looking instead at Sara.

"That Brent guy- wasn't something off about him?" I couldn't shake the feeling that his glazed over eyes gave me. I shuddered just thinking about it, the way the blue of his irises seemed to take up so much space- _one could almost swim in it._

"You mean other then him being a massive douche?" Jen interrupted Sara's response, raising an eyebrow "You alright there Ryan? You were pretty close to the blast"

"Yeah I'm fine it was probably-" 

_Pupils were so small-_

"Probably nothing. I am hungry though so I'm gonna go pick up some breakfast. Mcdonalds alright with you guys?" 

It was nothing. I'm sure it was nothing. 

~

_Door after door was locked. I was starting to get sick of this fucking hallway by now._

_I kept trying them, desperate to find one that would open. But the doorknobs failed to twist beneath my hands. Maybe I needed a key?_

_I felt a buzzing in my pocket and reached inside, surprised to find my phone. I pulled it out, looking down at the glowing screen._

_ENTER: PASSWORD_

_I didn't know the password- I tried to remember but I couldn't. Everything seemed to be slipping away. I tried to cling to the dream- make it last longer. I was getting closer, I could feel it._

_But then there was nothing, just me in the dark with my phone. I felt something warm dripping on my head. I looked up and could only see darkness. A single red droplet landed on my nose. I wiped it away and went to step back but tripped, landing on my back. Suddenly everything was twisted around. Now I was hanging above someone, a person wandering in the dark. But when they looked up- I saw it was just me. I opened my mouth to scream but only blood spilled out. Landing right on my own nose._

I woke up screaming. 

I looked around the room, searching for something in the darkness. But nothing was there. Of course, there wasn't. I couldn't seem to catch my breath, grasping at the bedsheets with shaking hands.

Shane had never shown up for moving day.

Part of me was grateful.

But part of me hated waking up alone. 

I didn't sleep for the rest of that night.

~

Shane still hadn't shown up for five days after he was supposed to move in, not only that but he had failed to show up to class. not that I was complaining but- it was getting a bit annoying having to do all of my classwork and projects by myself. 

We had started doing team dueling matches in our combat class, however, due to my lack of a partner I was forced to go solo. Which when you're powerless, going up against two powerful heroes tends to bit a bit difficult. Not only that- but I was ever so fortunately paired up with Brent and his partner. 

"Well well, look who it is" Brent chuckled as we moved to our designated area. He was smiling but- his face gave away how he really felt. He looked like shit. Pale, with dark circles and sweating up a storm as if he had a fever. I would have felt bad if the kid wasn't an asshole. 

"Let's just get this over with," I grunted, cracking my knuckles and ankles, sighing at the satisfying pops of my joints. 

"Wow, in a hurry to get your ass kicked huh?" He licked his lips, which were cracked and dry. I tried to ignore his taunts and got into position. Brent paused and whispered something to his partner, who backed up and crossed his arms, watching intently. Brent smiled at me. "Figured a 1v1 would be a little fairer, you know...all things considered" His voice dripped with sarcasm and I could feel anger bubbling up in my stomach but I pushed it down, trying to focus on the match. 

"Whatever, let's go"

He moved first, apparently, he liked hand to hand combat, and I quickly figured out why.

Super strength. Of fucking course. 

I ducked and rolled away from him the best I could, trying to keep his hands off me. If I let him get a good grip I knew I was fucked. He dove for me, it was clumsy and poorly placed so I ducked and swept his legs out from under him. He hit the floor and groaned, reaching out and grabbing my ankle. He threw me down, hard and pulled me toward him. I tried to kick away, landing a fierce blow to his chest that seemed to do nothing. I tried again, hitting his jaw which caused him to wince and release me. I got back up, wiping the sweat from my forehead and watched as he struggled to stand, swaying a bit as he did. I frowned, seeing his chest struggle to catch a breath. 

"Dude you good? We can stop-" 

He turned to me and I froze. His eyes were so blue, almost his whole eye was full of iris. He snarled this low terrible sound and dove for me again. I gasped and ducked but he swept an arm down and caught me by the stomach. I fell back onto the mat, all of the air knocked out of my lungs. He strode over, slow and lumbering and looked down at me, his mouth hanging slightly open. He licked his lips again, this tip finding the traces of blood from where I kicked him. 

"Alright, you got me pinned-" 

I tried to end this now, but something about the way he was looking at me- it made my stomach twist. The blue-eyed boy smirked and sent another kick onto my side, I cried out, catching the attention of more of the class. Brent leaned down and grabbed me by my throat, lifting me up. I gasped in surprise and grabbed at his hand. I could hear his partner laughing at the sight. I kicked desperately as my feet were lifted off the ground, earning a few more laughs from the class. I couldn't breathe. His hand was so tight around my throat. 

"Alright Brent we get the idea" I could hear Mr.Wales voice behind us. He sounded  _amused._ Brent didn't even turn his eyes away from me. He squeezed tighter and I let out a low whine, clawing at his bicep. Brent wasn't smiling anymore, his eyes were on me. All blue and full of hate. 

"Brent-" Mr.Wales walked forward, looking at Brent then at me. He must have noticed my expression because the amused look in his eyes vanished. "Alright, son enough-"

He threw me to the ground. I gagged and grabbed at my throat, which was burning so fiercely I thought it might have caught fire. The rest of the kids in the class laughed. But Brent didn't. He just kept on staring at me, mouth hanging open and dripping blood. He turned his head down slightly, and a drop of it fell on my nose.  From over his shoulder, I could see Mr.Wales, whose eyes were dark as he looked between the two of us. He placed a hand on Brent's shoulder and pulled him back, turning his eyes back to me. 

"Go clean yourself up Bergara"

I ran back to my dorm with my head down and a hand loosely gripping my throat. Trying to ignore the venomous murmurs spreading among my classmates. God it was getting hard to breathe. Every part of my body seemed to quiver with shame as I rushed to the closest restroom, desperate to hide- to get away from all this-this bullshit. 

I stumbled into the floor bathroom. Coughing and grimacing as I hunched over the sink, I glanced up into the mirror, noticing the ghosts of bruises beginning to form on my throat. Then I saw the red stain on my nose and my whole body shuddered. I struggled to get my hands to stop shaking, but they kept slipping on the porcelain as I stared at the red stain that stood out like a target on my nose.

_Maybe it's a coincidence._

But I knew it wasn't. 

I hopped in the shower and scrubbed my face until it was raw. Even then I felt like I could still feel like the blood there, simmering hot on my skin as I ran back to my room and shut the door, muffling my panicked breaths with my pillow.

~

Nightmares got worse after that, I woke up almost every night in a panic, grabbing my throat as I could recall the feeling of phantom hands squeezing my airway closed. I missed having Andrew in the room- the nightmares weren't ass bad when someone else was there. The darkness was always more stifling when you're by yourself.

_Where the hell is Shane anyway_

_~_

"He did what!?" Sara nearly shouted, until I hushed her and she quieted down. "Ryan that's- that's insane he could have killed you!"

I hadn't intended on telling her- or anyone for that matter. My crushing defeat had been embarrassing enough in front of my classmates, didn't need my friends finding out about it as well. But one nightmare had been particularly awful-

_I couldn't breathe. The hands on my throat prevented any attempt of doing so. I couldn't see the person holding me down, they were shrouded in darkness._

"No it's not- not that big of a deal I just...look I shouldn't have come-" I looked around her darkened apartment from the doorway, where Jen was fast asleep in her bed across from Sara's vacant one. I hadn't even realized how late it had been where I stumbled to their dorm. I had panicked- wasn't thinking. I should have just stayed put-

_I tried calling for help, tried begging for them to stop, but they wouldn't. They just squeezed tighter and tighter._

"Not a big deal- Jesus Ryan-" Sara sighed and looked up at me, eyes full of pity, before turning back to her sleeping roommate. "Look just...come inside" 

I was taken aback by her response, hesitating for a moment before following her inside. She grabbed a spare pillow and blanket from under her bed and layed it out on the floor between the two beds. 

"You don't have to-" 

"You need to sleep. It's fine." She cast me a small smile, relieving some of the tension that had woven its way into my muscles. I relaxed in just the slightest.

_I felt the whole world slipping away, fading to black. I grabbed the figure's hands, one last plead for mercy. Suddenly they stopped and the darkness lifted- just slightly._

"Thank you" I whispered, crawling into my little makeshift bed. It was in no way comfortable, but at least I wasn't alone in that room. Sara got into her bed and reached down, giving my shoulder a squeeze before rolling over to go back to bed. I stared at the ceiling and tried to sleep. I really did try.

_The eyes that stared back were big and brown, pupils practically nonexistent. I looked back at the face that was so painfully familiar and tried to scream but nothing came out. This person, who looked both insanely similar and starkly different stared back at me, a sick smile spreading across their- my face._

But all I could see were my eyes, so big and wild with my pupils so small. 

I didn't sleep then either. Not without seeing that terrible version of myself. 

~

The following morning I was up before Jen and Sara, finally rising when the sun rose. I groaned into the pillow Sara had given me and pulled myself to my feet, trying to ignore the exhaustion pulling at every ounce of my being. I paused, grabbing a sticky note from the counter and writing a quick thank you to Sara, leaving it on her bedside table before darting out of the room, pulling up the hood of my hoodie to hide my sore neck. It always tended to throb now and then, a dull reminder of that particular duel. 

When I finally made it back to my dorm, the sun had still barely risen. I opened my door, comforted by the sight of the first morning rays of light filtering through the blinds, then surprised by the dark figure huddled in my bed. At first, I thought my room had been broken into- then I noticed the oversized limbs and realization washed over me. 

This asshole finally decided to show up when I wasn't here- and he took my bed. 

That bitch. 

Not only that but had fallen asleep in what I assumed to be what he had worn during the day, still dressed in a pair of jeans and worn flannel. I scoffed and plopped down into the opposite bed, looking across at my new roommate. He was sleeping soundly, chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm. It was oddly soothing to watch as I lay down, head pressing into the unfamiliar pillow. 

I feel asleep watching him breathing- which sounds weird when you think about it but- hey a guy's gotta sleep somehow.

~

I woke up late for my first class. Having slept right through my alarm and Shane apparently left without me. I silently cursed as I pulled on a pair of jeans and rushed out to my history class, huffing through the freezing cold winter air. When I finally did arrive the teacher cast me a scathing glare and I mumbled and apology as I shuffled to the back. I plopped down in my seat, blushing and embarrassed, forgetting completely about my partner until he slid into the seat next to mine. 

"Glad to see you finally showed up." He teased, leaning down to speak to me in a hushed voice. My entire face flushed red and I shot him an angry glare. 

"Says you!" I spoke a bit too loud, as the teacher once again started shooting me daggers. The blush spread down to my neck and I looked down, speaking quietly through gritted teeth. "You've been gone for over a week." I could hear him shift in his seat, now he was leaning back, legs folded neatly across each other, taking up so much damn space. Like- why the hell did he need such long legs anyway?

"Right- sorry about that, had a bit of a family emergency," He cleared his throat, in a way that made me certain that the excuse was bullshit. "But I've been keeping up with lessons at home so don't worry about us falling behind." He shot me a cool smile. "Or don't worry about me falling behind at least." He grinned and gave me a small nudge with his elbow. Despite his joking tone I still felt my stomach twist with anger. I kept Gmy eyes glued to my tablet, which I was supposed to be taking notes on. I think he expected me to have a retort, so my absence of one left a silence hanging between us for the rest of the class.

I shouldn't let him get under my skin- but damn it he was right. I was falling behind. Not being able to use my powers (or lack thereof) was seriously putting a damper in my training. Combat was practically impossible, especially after my last stunt, plus all of our power based classes I've had too completely bullshit my way through. Shane had struck the nerve that hurt, and now I was pouting about it like a dumbass. I just couldn't stand him being right. But he was. I didn't stand a chance in this place for much longer, and it drove me nuts.

When we were finally dismissed I quickly gathered my stuff and rushed for the door. Before I could make it, I felt a hand on my shoulder which I flinched away from. I spun around and looked at him with the most annoyed glare I could muster.

"What?" I snapped, now biting on my tongue to keep myself from raising my voice. He seemed surprised by my small attack and flinched back a bit, looking confused. 

"Well, I just-" His face flushed pink, just barely. "Look no need to be rude I was just going to say I still needed to move my stuff in so-"

"So go ahead." I spun around, no longer bothering to look at the smaller man. I started off down the hall, leaving him to dart after me. "I can't miss class for that, after all you don't want me 'falling behind'" I grumbled, squaring my shoulders a bit as I continued to walk. I heard his footsteps stop and I paused, glancing back at him. He looked at me, seeming a bit confused as he opened and closed his mouth a few times before sighing out through his nose. 

"Right well...good..." He trailed off, seeming to give up on whatever he had planned on suggesting and turning on his heel, darting out. Part of me felt a bit satisfied watching him vanish through the doors. The other part felt a bit guilty.

But that part of me was quite minuscule. 

~

The rest of the day dragged on for what felt like forever. However, at the end, I was greeted with a surprise.

"Attention class, for the time being, you will be led by a new instructor for this course-" The Headmaster stood at the front of the room, speaking to the class in a steady voice. However, her tone was laced with dissatisfaction with her announcement, and I soon knew why. 

"Introducing, Mr. Norberry" 

The new professor entered, I immediately recognized him. He was the small mouse looking fellow from the headmaster's office, they had seemed to be in disagreement last time I was there- no wonder she wasn't happy to have him teaching. She smiled when he came in nonetheless, and he did the same thing, the countless scars littering his complexion stretching and folding into the laugh lines tucked into his skin.

"It's my pleasure to be instructing you all, I look forward to getting to know you all." His voice sounded different now, less high and strained from when he was arguing. Now he sounded almost gentle. The headmaster gave a curt nod and left the room, the sound of her walking stick clicking against the linoleum as she disappeared into the hall. Mr.Norberry's eyes flicked around the room, finally falling on me. His smile faltered, just barely but returned to it's normal form. He tucked a piece of long brown hair behind his ear and clapped his hands together. "Alright, now let's start learning some basic first aid and trauma care-"

His class was pretty good, very educational and easy to understand. The last instructor wasn't bad- but she was quite old so perhaps she had just finally retired. Either way I was pleased with the class, leaving at the end not feeling like a total failure which was new. However, as I gathered my things I was halted in my tracks. 

"Mr. Bergara could you remain after class please." 

I nervously waited for the other students to shuffle out before heading over to his desk, rubbing my hands together. 

"You wanted to see me?" I tried to keep my voice even, yet a part of me was sure he was going to call me out for eavesdropping. 

"About what happened in the office-"

"Look sir I didn't mean-" 

"No Ryan listen" He sighed, the breath shuddering out of his chest. He leaned forward, looking thoughtful as he picked out his words. "What you overheard in the office was- well it wasn't the best example of my character. I would never discriminate against a student for any reason- I know you're close with this particular student and I didn't want you thinking-"

"No no!" I interrupted him, feeling relieved at his reaction. "No I didn't think anything like that- I barely heard anything honestly." Not exactly true. But I would rather have the teacher who would be in charge of my grade for the rest of the year to be on my good side. I saw him relax visibly and he nodded quickly, rising from his seat. 

"Great, glad there are no misunderstandings then." He extended a hand, which was similarly covered in scars like his face. I rose and took it. 

"No of coutse not." I offered a smile and he returned one, leaning in closer and speaking in a quieter voice. 

"Although whatever you did hear- I would prefer that it stay between me and the headmistress." His tone was grave, threatening almost. I pulled back but he was still smiling, only now the corner of his mouth was twitching. "Understood?"

"Y-yes" I nodded quickly and pulled my hand away, which was now slick with sweat. "Good night sir-"

"Goodnight Bergara." 

I could feel his eyes on my back as I left the classroom. The whole way back to my dorm I could still imagine him watching as I walked away, his fake smile dancing on his lips. I had never been so happy to be back in my room before-

_Oh._

Shane had unpacked, that much was evident. His side of the room was covered in movie posters and an abundance of dorky knick-knacks. The best part of it is a picture of a cat (presumably his) perched on his bedside table. However his side wasn't the only one that was changed, mine now looked different as well, my things from my suitcase were now scattered around on my desk and bedside table. My basketball posters were also hung up as well. I walked over slowly, glancing around in confusion at the newly decorated room. I noticed a note on my (new) bed and picked up, hand still shaking a bit with the nerves from class. 

_Hey, saw you hadn't unpacked yet so I figured I would help out a bit. Kinda wished I hadn't because the basketball posters are hideous but to each one's own I guess. Also, had to run out to do some shopping- we have absolutely no food in that fridge. Like c'mon dude we can't just survive off of rootbeer. I'll be back later. Don't wait up for me._

I folded the note in my hand and glanced around again at the now completely tidy room. 

Man this guy was weird. 

It felt odd laying on the opposite side of the room. I kept rolling over, expecting to be facing the window but instead being greeted by the wall. 

I mean who did he think he was, just putting all my shit up anyways? 

I spent the next two hours taking everything down and switching it to the opposite side of the room. By the time I was done everything was the same, except switched. I stood back by the door, hands on my hips as I surveyed my finished product, panting a bit from the effort. 

There, now he knows not to mess with my shit. 

I plopped into my bed and fell asleep faster then I had in days, feeling satisfied imagining his disdainful expression when he finally returned back to the dorm. It was oddly comforting to know how confused he would be. Just a little bit of sweet payback for him being such as ass. Plus I was back in my bed, which kinda smelled like him. Which was annoying but I just chose to ignore it for now.

I slept without any nightmares that night. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you likey, let me know if you did cause I love being v a l i d a t e d. Also if you have any theories please share them!!! I would love to know what ya'll are thinking <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol idk this fic is trash but it's my trash so i'll keep writing it I guess

I woke up the next morning from a strangely- dreamless night. I rolled over in my bed to the sound of my alarm and lazily reached up to click the holographic alarm clock off. I glanced across the room to Shane's bed, mildly disappointed (but not surprised) to find it vacant. It looked exactly the same as I had left it the night before, which suggests he hadn't even come back last night. I sat up, rubbing my eyes groggily before proceeding to get ready. I put on a sweater, plus a sweatshirt on top due to the freezing temperature of the room and was about to head out before the door slammed open and Shane rushed in, face flushed pink from the cold and hair sticking up in a wild mess. 

"What time is it!?" He stuttered out, rushing for the closet and grabbing one of his coats, an oddly light one compared to my several layers. 

"8:45" 

"And when does our first class start-"

"9:00" 

"Shit!" 

I almost laughed as he stumbled toward "his" side of the room and threw open the bedside table to grab his supplies for class. He looked an absolute mess, grabbing around frantically and bumping into things with his long limbs. 

"Somebody had a late night huh?" I teased, leaning against the wall and checking my watch. I still had a few minutes to spare before I had to leave. I was enjoying the show too much to go quite yet-

"Shut up" He scoffed, surprised to find his tablet not where he left it. "Where the hell is my-" He suddenly stopped, his eyes flicking around the room, wide in confusion. He seemed to finally put two and two together and his mouth dropped open in shock. "Did you- what the hell did you do?" He spun to me, his brown hair falling into his face in a tangled mess. I put the best shit eating grin on my face and tilted my head. 

"No idea what you're talking about" I spun around and quickly hurried out the door. My cheeks strained from the smile on my face. "I'll meet you there, better hurry though you don't wanna be late!" 

I could hear a chorus of swearing coming from the dorm as I rushed down the hall.

~

He surprisingly made it to class on time, racing in at the last second as the bell rang. He stumbled into his seat next to mine, out of breath and sweating. 

"You're an absolute ass you know that?" He muttered to me through gritted teeth. I didn't respond, just kept on smiling as I waited for the lecture to start. He huffed and stared back toward the front of the room. We sat like that most of the class, both strategically ignoring each other as the instructor droned on about the history of the war on heroes. A topic I was more than familiar with.

"And with the conclusion of the war, there was a lot of improvement for the rights of specials, although there was some debate over the negotiations made with the mortal population, especially the creation of the original council of heroes-" 

The energy in the room shifted as the instructor began explaining the original council, they weren't wrong when saying it was a controversial topic. Lot's of people didn't like the council, especially a lot of the younger heroes in power. I had a certain degree of bias, considering both my parents were members. I could see a big of murmurs begin among the crowd of students and tried to tune out anything I might here, I was always hearing loads of shit around my parents, they were political figures that was to be expected-

"What do you think about the council sir?" One girl piped up, small and blonde- think her name was Chelsey?

"Well Kelsey-"

Ah right, Kelsey. We'd spoken a few times about classwork and things, she seemed sweet. Even just sitting there waiting for the instructor's response she had an odd air of pleasantness.

"I understand that the council's way of doing things may be a bit- outdated for some. However, I do firmly believe the council has the specials best interest at heart." The instructor replied, offering a small smile. Mr. Wesley was a pretty chill teacher, a bit boring and lecture-heavy but a nice guy. It was odd to see a guy like him working such a desk job, considering his powers. Even now I was in awe watching him levitate his glasses from his desk onto his crooked nose. 

"Really?" Kelsey's voice suddenly changed in tone, sounding harsh. "What about the restrictions on mortal and special marriage? Or the discrimination in the special law enforcement?" Her voice now dripped with venom, she leaned forward in her chair, lips pulled into a tight line as she glared down the teacher. I'd never seen a look on her face before, didn't even think she would be capable of mustering such a reaction. Several students turned their heads in surprise, mine included.

"Well, Kelsey those are both extremely controversial topics, not very suited for a classroom setting-" The teacher suddenly looked uncomfortable, tugging at his shirt sleeves. But Kelsey apparently wasn't finished. She barked out a harsh laugh and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. 

"What? Are you afraid of being exposed as a prejudiced asshole like half of the instructors in this stupid school-"

"Kelsey that's enough!" The instructor snapped, eyes snapped wide in surprise. I heard Shane chuckle next to me and then promptly cover his mouth, trying to muffle his amused giggles. I shot him a harsh glare and he rolled his eyes.

"What? She's got a point" He murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. Before I could manage a retort my attention was drawn by Kelsey getting out of her chair in such a rush that she topples it over, sending it tumbling to the ground with a loud thud. 

"Whatever" She mumbled, quickly hurrying out of class with the door slamming behind her, leaving the class in stunned silence. The teacher stared at the door for a few long moments, before seeming to remember he had a class to teach and continuing with the lesson. Nobody seemed to be listening though, all lost in our own thoughts about Kelsey's little outburst. Some kids were likely silently applauding her, others probably seething in their seats. I didn't really care about what she had to say, I was confused about one thing.

Why did a sweet girl like her get so riled up? 

Maybe I didn't know her as well as I thought I did.

But then it started happening more. 

~

I seemed to be the only one to notice it. Kids at school were getting- angry, like really angry. It was little things at first, people being more irritable, small arguments springing up now and then, nothing too crazy. Then it was outburst's, like Kelsey's or people changing- like Brent. It seemed like anywhere I looked there was an argument or fight, like everyone was on edge for some reason.  

But nobody else seemed to notice it but me.

"Dude everyone is just stressed out about the trials starting," Sara spoke through a mouth full of chipotle, stuffing down a burrito at a speed that must have been hazardous to her health. I sighed and leaned back against my chair, staring dejectedly at my uneaten taco. Jen snaked out a hand and grabbed a stray piece of lettuce off my plate. I slid her the whole thing with a roll of my eyes and she dug in. 

"I mean it is pretty weird, this dude totally flipped out on his friend yesterday, gave him a black eye and had to go to the headmaster's office." Curly piped up, from where he was curled up against his partner Jazzmyne, looking at something on her phone. 

"See! I'm not the only one-"

"Look I'm sure Sara's not trying to discredit your theory or anything bud-" Steven smiled from his end of the table, sliding me his serving of chips and guac. "But she does have a point, everyone is just a bit on edge right now. Hell, I've had my moments right Andrew?" He chuckled and slapped Andrews arm playfully. Andrew however seemed distracted, eyes glued to the table, he looked up in surprise at Steven. 

"O-oh right yeah." He quickly flicked his eyes away from Steven and stood up, excusing himself to the bathroom. Steven sighed and watched him go. 

"Everything alright with him?" I inquired, as Andrew disappeared behind the restroom doors. Curious about his odd reaction.

"Yeah just, we had a bit of an argument yesterday it's no big deal." Steven anxiously strummed his fingers on the table, three times.

_Tap, tap, tap._

_I could hear the sound echoing through the hall. Three taps, over and over. I wanted it to stop- for it to just be quiet._

_Tap, tap, tap._

_Then there was the pain in my back and darkness. I could hear my blood drip to the floor, three loud droplets._

_Tap, tap, tap._

"-Right Ryan?" 

I caught my name at the end of Jen's sentence, everyone's eyes turned to me, I flushed pink and looked down at my chips, stuffing one down quickly and giving a small nod. Apparently, that was the right thing to do because everyone continued on with their normal chatter. I wasn't really paying attention, all I could focus on was Stevens fingers strumming on the table, keeping pace with that irregular beat. A strange feeling crept through my bones- one that I couldn't quite discern.

I'm sure it's nothing. 

~

Look I knew Shane Madej was a strange guy, knew that from the moment we met but damn I never realized just how weird. 

We stayed out of each other's way, for the most part, spent most classes in silence, kept to our own sides of the dorm (the correct sides, might I add.) that was until our first night off when I was finally getting some well-deserved rest. 

"Ryan- pssst....Ryan!" I snapped awake, groaning as I was greeted by the harsh flashlight of Shane's phone, which he was shining right in my face. I sat up, shielding my eyes.

"Jesus Christ man- what!?" He lowered his flashlight, allowing me to get a good look around the room. It was dark- way too dark to be morning. I glanced at the clock and just about slapped the guy right there. It was 4am. 

"C'mon, we gotta go to the arena." He stood up, I could hear his joints popping as he did so. He was already dressed, in a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt, with a flannel covering his arms from the chill. He spun around and grabbed a bag off his bed, already heading for the door. I stared at him in a dazed silence. "Well c' mon!" He scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

"Dude... it's 4am"

"Exactly, nobody else will be in there, it's the best time to get some training done." He explained as if it were obvious. I gaped at him for a few more seconds, expecting him to laugh it off and go back to bed. Alas that didn't happen, apparently, he was being deadly serious. I

"You're insane"

"Insane about being ready for the trials baby!" He grinned and opened up the door, letting the cold air from the hall seep into the room. "Now hurry up, we don't have all night."

"We literally-" I felt a laugh rising in my chest, it escaped in the sharp wheeze. "We literally do have all night"

"Whatever just-" He gestured dismissively. "You know what I mean."

Every ounce of my being wanted to lay back down and let the guy train on his own.

But of course, being the dumbass that I am, I ended up going with him. 

~

"Dude it's freezing in here" I stuttered out through the cold, holding my arms to my chest as I scanned the dark arena. Shane didn't seem phased by the weather however, only having his thin flannel to protect him. 

"Try living in Illinois, this is like summer there." He chuckled lightly and shuffled through his duffle bag, pulling out a round mechanical object, placing it on the ground. "Now less complaining more training." He pressed a button on top of the cylinder which caused it to light up a bright blue and create a small holographic screen. He began typing into the screen. I tried not to seem impressed by the technology as I changed into a pair of sneakers. 

"Wait, you're from Illinois? Thought you were from-"

"Texas yeah I heard." He let out a small sigh, obviously well aware of the rumors surrounding his past, he continued tapping away at the screen however, his expression not giving away much. "Really people give me a bit too much credit, I'm not quite as interesting as people assume." He chuckled softly, it sounded oddly loud in the silent arena. It simmered in the air, the ghost of the soft laugh lingering in my ears in a way I couldn't quite discern. 

I was probably just tired. 

He stepped away from the holographic screen which shifted into the holograph of two figures, both glimmering in an electronic blue. I blinked in surprise and stepped toward one of the holographs, unable to hide my amazement. 

"Damn where did you get one of-" My question was cut off by the holograph swinging one of its electronic fists toward me. I yelped and dove aside, feeling the buzz of electricity pass through my hair where the holographs hand barely grazed my head. I could hear Shane laugh behind me and I shot him a harsh glare, only making him smile wider, he pointed behind me and I spun around to find this apparently very angry hologram diving for me again. I huffed and ducked again, causing it to rush toward Shane instead. He summoned a fistful of shadows and grabbed the holograph by the wrist and tossed it aside. 

"My mom's a technician, this is one of her training prototypes, figured if it goes berzerk I can just leave you with it." He grinned, shooting a finger gun with his shadow hand before turning around to continue his scuffle. I was about to shout back a retort when I felt the other hologram, which I had so conveniently forgot about- grab me by the back of my coat and yank me up to my feet. I gritted my feet and spun on my heel, delivering a kick that slid through the holograms noncorporeal form, sending it skidding across the ground nonetheless. I landed in a squat, waiting for the hologram to get back up.

"Ryan!" Shane's voice called out to me from a few feet away, I turned toward him, only to be slammed into by the other hologram. I hit the ground hard, rolling along the cold pavement, I skidded to a stop, only for the holograph to crash into me. I grabbed it by it's...shoulders? And flipped it over, pinning it beneath my knees. It (somehow, don't ask me about the physics of these things) grabbed me by the waist and flipped me over, caught by surprise I wasn't able to put my arms up in time to avoid my face being slammed directly into the floor. My vision went white and I gasped, rolling to my side and grabbing at my now throbbing nose. I looked up to see Shane send a flurry of shadows toward the holograph, causing it to vanish into a flurry of pixels. He turned to me, breathing heavily and looking at me with a confused look. 

"What!?" I barked, sitting up and groaning, looking down to see blood dripping from my nose and onto my hand. I huffed and wiped my bloody hand on my shirt, grunting in dismay. Shane was still looking at me through narrowed eyes. I spit out the blood that had dripped into my mouth and stood up, squaring my shoulders. "Is there a problem-"

"Is there a reason you don't use your powers-? I mean I get the whole wanting to be mysterious or whatever but..." He looked me up and down, eyes flicking back to my nose, his eyes giving away the slightest hint of concern before steeling back up. "Look if we're going to be partners we should know what we're working with." He reached a long arm up to scratch the back of his neck, looking unsure as he spoke. I stiffened up, my jaw clenching as I struggled to keep my eyes on his. 

What the hell am I supposed to tell him? "Oh yeah sorry I don't really have any powers- well I do but they only work about a quarter of the time and I have to be unconscious!"

I should just tell him- really it would be the most mature and sensible thing to do-

"Look I just-" I swallowed hard, flicking my eyes to the ground, my fingers twitching as they struggled to keep up with the way the blood was rushing through my veins. I tried to muster the courage to tell him the truth, to just come clean. 

But then I remembered that smirk he had when he was winning that first duel-

"I just don't like to use them unless absolutely necessary." I cleared my throat, hoping that blatant lie wasn't too obvious as I turned my gaze back toward his face. Oddly enough I found him looking- surprised. 

"O-oh." He quickly stuffed his hands in his flannel pockets, glancing away from me, seeming suddenly very interested in a loose button on his shirt. "Right- well...that's fine I mean-" He paused as if picking his words carefully. "I understand." He finally responded, swallowing hard and running a hand from his hair. "I mean I have some stuff I don't like using but-but I will if I have too-"

"Yeah of course." I responded quickly, trying to bite back my own surprise. "If I have too-" I lied through my teeth, knowing well if we were in any real danger I would be likely absolutely useless.

"Mhm." He was obviously uncomfortable, eyes looking anywhere than at me. He turned away and shuffled back toward the training prototype, leaning down to pick it up. I watched the lanky dude move, my mind wrapping around the odd encounter. This guy was obviously already powerful- but if he had powers he wasn't even comfortable using-

I was suddenly oddly wary of my strange partner. If I had told him the truth, that I was practically powerless- would he have told me about his secret powers at all? Or would he have continued to keep me in the dark about it? 

I was feeling oddly less guilty about lying then and wiped my nose on my sleeve before strutting back over to where he was hunched over the prototype, his long fingers lingering over the keypad as if he was lost in thought. I couldn't help but be amused at the sight and elbowed him in the side, earning a yelp of surprise. 

"C'mon, we gonna train or what?" I cast him a snarky grin and he looked up at me in surprise, his hair now sticking up from where he had been nervously messing with it moments ago, he looked ridiculous.

"I mean you're kinda-" He gestured toward my nose and I shrugged it off, glancing toward the glowing blue screen, admittedly confused by the series of codes and numbers presented in a bold font. 

"I'm fine, I'll be damned if I let myself get bested by a fucking hologram." He laughed, right in my ear. I flinched back, wincing as the harsh sound only to look at him. His face was illuminated by the blue light, displaying just how pale and ghostly the guy really looked. It was kinda cool, in a spooky kinda way. That pretty much summed up how he looked most of the time, cool and spooky....and dumb as hell. I huffed and turned back toward the screen, watching as he tapped away and prepared the next simulation. 

Oddly enough kicking some holographs ass with your sworn worst enemy is kinda fun. Not that ever really admit that.

~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hnnghh this chapter is really short sorry but the next one is gonna be thicc and have a lot of action I promise. Will be up this sometime this week (allegedly)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally deleted this chapter halfway through finishing it so that was fun.  
> So if it seems a bit fucked up in the start it's because I had to rewrite the first two scenes :)))

The nightmares went away for a bit once Shane moved in, something about having him there just seemed to calm them down. As much as I hated to admit it, he was (somehow) helping with the whole bad dream situation. I'm unbearably grateful for this, because I know my night terrors can be a bit- unpleasant for somebody else to witness, and having to explain that to Shane would make me want to literally gauge my eyes out.

So I'll take the dreamless nights while I can get them.

Perhaps it's due to me sleeping less in general? If I'm not out with friends then I'm with Shane on our late night training expeditions, so my downtime has been slim to none as of late. Not that I mind, who needs sleep anyway? Not me, that's for sure. Apparently, Shane does though, cause he always bitches in the morning.

~

"Ryaaaan, too earlyyyyy" Shane groaned, his voice muffled by his pillow where his head was currently buried. I rolled my eyes as I shuffled through the fridge for some cream for my coffee, desperate to get some caffeine in me before I passed out.

"Not my fault you sleep until noon." I retort, pouring the steaming brown liquid into a mug, taking a hasty sip before wincing, my tongue now burnt. 

"Well, you're the one who wants to train till the crack of dawn." He props himself up on his elbow, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "If I had known you were gonna do this I wouldn't have invited you the first time." 

"Whatever" I walk back over to my bed, crouching down to pick up my bag from beside my pile of dirty clothes. "I'm heading out to shower so feel free to catch up with your beauty rest." I smirk as I head for the door, nearly forgetting my coffee and doing a full 180 to retrieve it. 

"Yeah well- I will." Shane rolled over, pulling his blankets over himself with a sigh. I have to stifle a laugh, watching him struggle to pull his legs up so he could better fit the undersized bed. I tear my eyes away from the scene and go to open the door, only for the doorknob not to budge. This sends a chill down my spine, which I quickly choose to ignore. 

_A hall lined with doors that won't open._

No. No. It's probably just a coincidence. 

"Hey did you like, lock the door or something?" I try to keep my voice from shaking, trying the doorknob again to no avail. My hands started to shake so I gripped the doorknob tighter. 

"The door locks from in here dumbass, just turn the thingy." The taller dude grumbles, not moving from his cocoon of blankets. 

"I know that-! It's not locked from in here it just...it won't open." I felt my breath hitch and I closed my eyes. 

_Relax Ryan, things never come true in the way you expect._

I hear a shuffling of sheets behind me and I turn to see Shane pulling on his glasses to get a better look at the door. I wiggle the doorknob again, just to show him. 

"Huh- that's weird."

"That's weird? That's all you got?" I snapped, still struggling (and failing) to keep myself from freaking out. I try the door again, but of course, it doesn't work. "C-can you like, call someone?"

"Dude relax it's probably just like, jammed or something." He must have heard the panic in my voice, cause now his voice was softer more reasoning. Somehow it pissed me off more. "My phone is charging where's yours?"

"I lost it!" I say, louder then I should. I run a hand down my face, feeling my quick breaths against my palm. "I don't- I don't know where the hell it is."

"Alright, alright-" I can hear him get up but I don't move to look at him, I just rub at my sore eyes and sigh as I hear his phone power up. 

"Who should I call?"

"I don't know, one of your friends nearby, whoever you think can let us out without breaking the damn door down." 

I turned around to see Shane staring blankly at his phone. He bit his lip and turned, handing the phone to me, looking a bit bashful. 

"You can just uh- call somebody, it's fine." He swallowed hard and stood up, quickly brushing past me to look at the door. I paused, my fingers ghosting over the phone screen. I looked at the phone then back at Shane, only to look back at the phone. A sudden realization washed over me and I felt my eyes widen. 

"You don't have any friends!?" I spun around, facing Shane's back. I saw him tense up from where he stood, staring down at the doorknob. 

"Ryan-"

"None at all!? Dude that's just-" I let out a long breath. "That's sad."

"Alright well-" He let out a small huff and stuffed his hands in his pockets, turning just barely to glance at me. "You gonna call somebody or just insult me all night?"

"I mean the insulting is pretty fun-" A smirk slipped onto my lips and I could see him roll his eyes and turn back to the doorknob, trying it another time. I chuckled in satisfaction and clicked open the dial pad, typing in Steven's number, since I knew his dorm was closest, only to receive a beeping red error message.

"Huh-"

"What now?" Shane groaned and spun around, leaning against the door, crossing his legs as he did so. I tapped again at the phone screen but nothing seemed to be working. 

"I don't know- there's like...no service or something." I bit my lip, showing him the phone. He groaned and his head lulled forward as he ran a large hand down his face. 

"Seriously? We're in the most technologically advanced school in America and they can't get us decent service-"

"I mean not like you need it you don't have any friends-"

"Ryan if you make one more joke about my friends-" He paused, eyes flicking up to me, narrowing in suspicion. I felt a giddy feeling rise in my chest. "Ryan I swear to god if you say what I think you're going to say I will hit you-"

"Can't joke about your friends if you don't have any!" The words slipped out before I had a chance to stop them, the joke was just too good to miss. He extended a long arm and swatted me on the head, unable to stop my stream of giggles escaping my chest. He slumped down on his bed, grumpily crossing his arms. He was obviously too tired to come up with a decent retort, so I obviously had won our minor squabble. It was funny, messing with him did have a bit of a therapeutic effect, I had totally forgotten about the door thing-

Just as it crossed my mind again, a holographic screen appeared in front of the door, causing me to yelp and jump back in surprise. I heard Shane laugh behind me and I huffed, cheeks turning bright pink. I looked up at the screen to see the face of Mr. Wales appear, looking as grim and emotionless as ever. There was a rustle of sheets as Shane sat up behind me, trying to get a better look.

"Attention heroes, we will now be initiating your first trial," Mr.Wales spoke in his typical gruff tone. My heart just about dropped to my stomach as his words. 

"Fuck," Me and Shane said in sync. We both glanced at each other, before turning our attention back to the screen. 

"This first trial has been designed specifically by me." Shane and I both grimaced, realizing then just how fucked we were. Mr. Wales continued on, "It will be a test of teamwork, strategy and most importantly, stealth. There will be two teams, as indicated by your wrist bands." 

As if on cue me and Shane's bands both lit up a bright blue. I looked down as the color forked through the silver circuit board. 

"Blue will indicate the heroes, who will be in charge of defending flags that will be assigned to each pairing. Red will indicate Villains, who will try and steal the flags and eliminate the heroes before they can reach their checkpoint. All heroes must make it to the indicated area on your maps. Heroes do have the ability to eliminate villains as well, but not if they are protecting a flag. The trial starts at 6 am sharp. Good luck." The holographic screen vanished in a flurry of pixels, scattering a few last rays of blue light across the room. I noticed a blinking button on my wristband and clicked it, bringing forth a holographic map of the school campus. Shane huddled close to me, both of us examining the checkpoints scattered throughout campus. 

"I think our best bet would be the cafeteria," I said quickly, taking notice of the closest checkpoint. 

"But that's the place closest to the dorms, it would probably be safer to go to one of the places a bit farther like maybe the memorial garden." Shane pointed to the path that was a bit longer. "With my powers, we'll be able to be a bit more stealthy-"

"Exactly why we should just go straight for the cafeteria," I interjected, not about to let Shane cost us our first trial. No way in hell are we gonna be trekking halfway across campus, and for what? So he can show off his cool stealth magic. Not gonna happen. 

Shane let out a long sigh and leaned back on his bed, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses. "Whatever you say, man. We get our asses kicked I don't wanna hear it."   

"Yeah well, we won't" I smirked, closing out the map with a tap of my finger. 

"Damn right we won't" He grumbled, laying back on his bed and covering his face with his arms. "Now we still have an hour so please let me get some damn sleep."

~

Waiting for six had to be the most painstaking thing of my life. I kept opening and closing the map, trying to memorize the paths to the best of my ability. After Shane's power nap we both got dressed (He decided to wear his ugly ass boots that he knew that I hated) and awaited anxiously for the trial to start. I sat on my bed, bouncing my leg nervously. 

"Could you like- stop that please?" Shane was looking at my leg, which was bouncing at a rapid speed.

"Why?" I bounced it faster, much to Shane's dismay. 

"Cause you're freaking me out-"

"Well, I'm sorry I'm nervous!"

"Yeah well, you're making me nervous!"

"Oh don't be such a-"

The door clicked unlocked with a metallic clang. We both sprung to our feet and darted for the door. When we opened it, there was a blue flag laying on the ground, I plucked it up and quickly wrapped it around my knuckles on my right hand. Shane waited for me to secure the flag before darting down the hall. It was oddly empty, leaving me to wonder how they managed to clear everyone out-

I skidded to a stop. Shane must have heard my footsteps pause because he stopped too.

"What's the holdup-"

"They already let the villains out- early I mean." I quickly glanced around the hall. "That's why nobody is here they got released early." I gestured to the empty hall and Shane paused, glancing around and slowly nodding, seeming almost...impressed.

"You could be right-" His eyes flicked to every dark corner of the room, now looking suspicious. "You head for the checkpoint. I'll be nearby don't worry." Shane said quickly. Before I could even protest, he darted ahead into the shadows and seemed to vanish into the darkness. I raced after him but to no avail, the bastard vanished. 

"Asshole-" I grumbled. Heading downstairs toward the courtyard now seemingly on my own. The campus was oddly quiet, the first signs of light starting to glimmer from the horizon, casting long shadows from the looming buildings of the school, orange halos of light glimmering just beyond the dark silhouettes of the city beyond. I paused at the bottom of the stairwell, peaking past it to check if the coast was clear. I heard a loud crash from somewhere in the distance behind me and ducked down closer to the ground, waiting to make sure the noise didn't come any closer. When I was sure I was safe to go I started darting along the edge of the dorm building, the fastest route to the cafeteria. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I strained to listen for anyone approaching, but it was so, so quiet. 

As deafening as a gunshot, glass from the window above my head shattered and I ducked, avoiding the shards showering around me. I spun around to see some kid I didn't recognize, he was thin and blonde with a big smile stretched across his face, crouched on the second story of the stairwell, staring at me from beyond the railing. His eyes glowed a bright green and I quickly ducked away before a beam of green energy shot into the spot where I had just been standing. I cursed and ran, more of the beams striking the ground near me as I fled, likely drawing the attention of all the damn villains in the school. I turned a corner, where the building ducked into an alley, only to be cornered by who I was assuming to be this kids partner. The girl was short, with a mess of black hair falling over her face. She smirked and lifted her arm up, fingers outstretched toward me. Before she got the chance to do anything, a flurry of shadows launched toward her and tossed her aside into the wall of the office building. She fell hard and winced, looking up in surprise as the flurry of shadows parted to reveal Shane. He grinned and a sword of shadows materialized in his hand, he pointed the blade to her neck and her wristband beeped before turning off, signaling her elimination. 

I didn't have time to revel in Shane's save, however, as I could hear footsteps thundering behind me. I spun around, prepared to fight when Shane grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back into the darkness of the corner of the building. Everything went dark around me, as the darkness wrapped me up in a cocoon of shadow. I couldn't see or hear anything except for me and Shane's labored breaths. He was close to me, that much I was sure of. His hand was still gripping my shoulder, and it seemed like he was pressed against my back, trying to hold me still. 

"Dude what th-"

"Shhh"

He silenced me and I paused, hearing the muffled sound of voices nearby. I tried to settle my own panicked breathing so I could hear better, but something about feeling Shane's heart racing against my back didn't help my nerves. I eventually just closed my eyes and counted the seconds in my head, ignoring the darkness that seemed to be pressing all around me. I tried not the focus on the depths of shadows I was drowning in, instead of on Shanes hand, which was steady on my shoulder, dragging me back to the surface from the pitch black water. 

It seemed like years passed before I was yanked from the shadows. Stumbling back out into the faint light of dawn. I gasped and spun around to Shane, who also looked a bit frazzled. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. 

"That was close."

"No shit." I huffed, shaking my head. "What the hell was that? Since when can you like, become the darkness what are you, Batman!?" I shook my head in disbelief. A small smile spread on his face. 

"No I'm not-" He started laughing and quickly covered his mouth, realizing how loud we were being. "I'm not Batman just- shut up and c' mon we have to keep going." He clicked open his map and examined the checkpoints. "If you can lure some villains down to the-"

"Oh no." I quickly interrupted him, eyes wide. "I am not being your bait."

"C' mon we need those points. Don't be a downer." He grinned a teasing grin and I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they might fall right out of my head. 

"You're right you sure aren't Batman, cause Bruce Wayne wouldn't be caught dead saying shit like "don't be a downer." I gestured dismissively, giving him the signal that he had won the argument and his grin only expanded. 

"I mean you don't know Bruce, maybe he appreciated some 80s slang!" 

"Bruce Wayne did not- alright shut the hell up and go be spooky over there." I shoved him toward the shadows and he put his hands up in defeat. He swept one arm up, as if wielding a cape and vanished back into the darkness. I tried to suppress a chuckle before heading back out into the fray. 

~

I crept along the back sides of buildings, feeling oddly comforted by the looming darkness, knowing Shane was nearby. As much as an ass as he was, he was good company to have in horrifying situations. I tried to avoid commotion if possible, witnessing a couple of scuffles here and there. I tried to stay out of sight for the most part. I noticed a villain lurking outside of the girls' dorm building and darted out, trying to catch his attention as subtly as possible. It was hard to tell what they looked like, just that they were short with bad posture. I saw a trashcan and bumped into it, drawing the dudes attention. I quickly spun around and raced for the back of the buildings. 

"Alright Shane one's on the way-" I spoke to nowhere in particular, unsure of where he was lurking. I was cornered, so when the footsteps thudded behind me I had no other option than to turn around. I spun on my heel, only to be greeted by a familiar face. 

"Oh, shit-" A laugh crept into my voice as I looked at Andrew, who seemed just as surprised to see me. I chuckled and put my hands up slowly. "Looks like you got me, man." I laughed a bit and Andrew gave a soft smile, curling his fist which now crackled with electricity. 

"Yeah uh- sorry about this man. It's nothing personal." He chuckled faintly, it sounded a bit strained, like his throat hurt. The poor man was probably sick. He took another step forward and I just winked. 

"Yep, nothing personal." I grinned and as if on cue a tendril of darkness shot out and caught Andrew by his legs. He stumbled but quickly caught himself, pulling himself up. He looked around in surprise, only for Shane to appear behind him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt, fist enveloped in shadows. Andrew spun around and kicked at Shane's hip, sending him spiraling toward the ground. I darted after Andrew, who was now looming over Shane but was shocked by my wrist band. I winced, remembering I wasn't allowed to attack and slowly backed up, only to bump into somebody else. I spun around in surprise, only to be nose to nose with Steven. 

"Hiya Ryan." Steven smiled and swung a punch. I ducked and dove beneath his arm, racing back toward the courtyard, as I passed him Steven ducked down and slid his finger along my shoe, causing it to also turn to gold. I stumbled, the heavy shoe now weighing me down. I rolled over, looking up in Steven in surprise, a winded laugh escaping my mouth. 

"Damn Steven you really don't play around-" I looked up, expecting him to be laughing at the predicament as well, but his face was blank, staring down at me with this odd intensity. It was hard to see his face in the shadows, but man he was...he was really into this trial thing, wasn't he? I tried to pull myself back but he grabbed me by my foot and yanked me toward him, my back dragging along the hard ground, I yelped and tried to wriggle away from his grasp, accidentally kicking him in his leg. A shock ran up my arm and I gasped, he released my leg and stumbled back, wincing. I looked up, his face now illuminated by a stray ray of morning sunlight. I could only see the top half of his face, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes-

His eyes were-

Suddenly he was sent flying down into the pavement, a ball of shadows hitting him in the side. He landed with a yelp and rolled, putting up an arm in defense to the surprise attack. Shane had somehow subdued Andrew, who was pinned against the wall by a blanket of shadow. Shane had his arm up, keeping him pinned, his other arm out to attack Steven. He looked paler than usual, sweating from the effort of containing them both. Steven went to get back up, to lunge toward Shane again but the taller man slashed out another attack, hitting Steven in the shoulder. Steven, however, would not relent. He dove forward again and Shane had to lower his other arm, using both to send Steven flying back, finally landing with a thud on the concrete. I didn't have time to process Steven's defeat before I saw Andrew diving toward Shane, who now had his back turned. 

Now what had led me to make this decision was beyond me, at the time I apparently thought it was a good idea. I raced forward, intercepting Andrew before he could reach Shane. I felt an electric shock race through my body, my teeth clattering together from the energy. I pulled Andrew to the ground and we both stumbled. Andrew reached up and ripped the flag from my hand, quickly backing up and away from my now shuddering form. I swept out my foot with all of my strength, swinging my golden shoe at his feet and knocking him to the ground, sending the flag flying past us. We both crawled toward it, desperate hands reaching out to grasp the blue fabric. My hand was still shaking from the shock, so Andrew got there first, grabbing a fistful of blue fabric. However, his arm was quickly pressed beneath a worn out ugly-ass boot. He looked up in surprise to see an exhausted Shane, with a tired smile ghosting on his lips. He looked- well like a badass. Looming over us, the shadows lingering around him like a billowing cape. He tossed his head back, sending sweat soaked hair flopping onto his forehead. 

"Well fuck" Andrew muttered before Shane gave a small nod and sent Andrew skidding back toward Steven with a flurry of shadows. Shane quickly scooped up the flag in his fist and grabbed my arm, yanking me up to my feet. I gave one last glance at Andrew and Steven, whose wristbands were now bad to their normal dull gray. Andrew seemed pretty indifferent, giving me a quick thumbs up before I left. Steven, on the other hand, looked pissed. Glaring at me with his...very normal eyes. Yes just normal and brown and pissed off. Nothing out of the ordinary.  _Nothing to worry about. Just your mind playing games Ryan._  I quickly turned away and trailed after Shane toward the cafeteria. Trying to ignore the feeling of Steven's eyes burning into my back, still stinging from him dragging me across the ground.

Steven's a competitive guy, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it.

~

We didn't make it very far before Shane stopped, his knees buckled and he fell forward. I paused and looked down in surprise, he was breathing heavily, head bowed in exhaustion. 

"You uh- you good?" Was the only awkward response I could muster. Sure I wasn't worried about the guy- but I kinda needed my partner if I was gonna win this thing. 

"Yeah just dandy." He huffed, voice laced with sarcasm as he forced himself back up before groaning and falling back down again. His wrist band starting beeping and he cursed, quickly handing me the flag. "That Andrew guy kicked my ass, I haven't got much left in me you go ahead I'll be right behind you."

"You sure we can wait a minute-" 

"No just, go ahead we're already probably running behind." He huffed and slowly rose back to his feet. "Just don't let anyone take the flag." I gave him a quick nod and darted off. When I glanced behind me to check on him, he was gone. I moved faster than, as fast as I could with one shoe. I had to ditch my other one that Steven ruined so now I probably looked like a hot fucking mess. Eventually, I came into sight of the cafeteria and grinned in relief, that is before about 5 villains appeared out of fucking nowhere. I skidded to a stop, now surrounded. I huffed and clutched at my flag, spinning around and looking bewildered. 

"Well look who it is" A familiar voice sent chills down my spine. I spun around to see Brent, grinning from the circle of villains. I tried to swallow my fear and stand up straight, staring him down. "Ready for round 2?" 

I noticed how close Brent was standing to the dark corner of the cafeteria building- it wouldn't take much...

I dove forward, launching my weight into him, he stumbled in surprise, quickly grabbing me by my shoulders and tossing me to the ground. I gasped hard as the air left my chest and gritted my teeth as he stalked toward me, sick grin on his face. He didn't make it to me before Shane shot out from the darkness, sending a shadowy punch into his side. Brent stumbled and gasped, falling hard. The other four villains raced forward and I tried to sit up, but couldn't seem to breathe. Shane ran toward me, but Brent grabbed him first, practically throwing him aside. Shane hit the ground- hard. I swear I could hear something pop as soon as he collided with concrete. I went to back up but only bumped into another villain, who sent a hard kick to my back. I heard Shanes armband click off, he was down. But yet Brent was still stalking after him. Shane sat up, cradling his arm.  _Shit._ He was hurt. Shane turned to me, and mouthed the words "Go." But I didn't move. I looked at the villains behind me, who were staring at Brent intently, eyes looking glazed over. I grabbed the flag from my hand and held it up, catching Brent's attention. 

"Fetch asshole!" I tossed the flag back into the crew of glassy-eyed villains and quickly pulled myself away. The villain who caught the flag looked at it in surprise, then in horror as they looked up at Brent, who was now stalking toward them, face twisted in a snarl. He dove toward them and chaos broke out among the five of them. My wristband beeped, signifying my loss of the game and I crawled toward Shane, who was looking at the scene with wide eyes. His gaze flicked to me, looking wild and shocked. 

"C' mon let's get you to first aid." I grabbed his good arm and went to pull him up, but Shane didn't budge, he just stared past me at Brent. 

"What's his deal-"

"He's a dick." It was the only explanation I could offer. I helped pull him to his feet and we began stumbling toward the cafeteria. He held his injured arm carefully, wincing as we started moving a bit faster. 

"You could have made it- if you just went for it," Shane spoke through chattering teeth. He wasn't wrong. I probably could have, I knew I was faster then Brent. But something about leaving Shane there with that psycho. I may hate the guy but I'm not a total douche. Nobody deserves that. 

My neck begins to tingle just thinking about it.

"Nah, probably would have fallen on my ass. Steven owes me some new shoes." I joked lightly, but Shane didn't laugh. He just stared forward, looking tired and defeated. He had every right to be. That sucked ass. 

"Told you we should have gone the long way," Shane spoke up, after a few moments of silence. I scoffed and bumped his arm with my elbow, earning a wince. 

"Shut up Shane."

We walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence. 

Maybe it really hadn't been so bad.

~

"Oh c' mon it can't have been that bad" Sara chuckled from her side of the table, pawing through an order of fries. 

"Says you, you guys fucking killed it!" I exclaimed, gesturing to Sara and Jen. They had both been one of the first pairs to make it to the checkpoint, sending their ranking to the top of the leaderboard, standing in 8th place. Shane and I were stuck down in the 40s, pretty decent but still not where we wanted to be. Shane had been moping around the dorm ever since he saw our rank. 

"What can I say, we're amazing," Jen smirked from her corner of the booth, where she was stuffing down a big mac. I rolled my eyes and leaned back, resting my head on the soft red cushion of the McDonalds booth. 

"I mean hey, at least you made it higher than these two losers" Curly teased, nudging Andrew, who had pulled up a chair to the table to make room for such a large group. A small embarrassed smile appeared on Andrews' lips, but he obviously knew Curly didn't mean anything by it, he was always messing around with us. Steven, on the other hand, flushed a bright red and turned his head down to stare at his lap. 

"I mean really I wouldn't have beaten them if it wasn't for Shane, he's a douche but he can kick some ass." I joked, trying to lift Stevens spirits. He had been awfully quiet since the trial, probably just sulking about his ranking like Shane was. I thought maybe my attempt at cheering him up had worked because some of the tension in his shoulders seemed to relax. But he still didn't look up. Andrew glanced down at him and frowned, ducking down slightly to speak quietly to his partner. 

"Hey steven man-"

"I'm fine!" Steven snapped, sitting up suddenly. His face was flushed and tears spilled down his cheeks. He quickly blinked a few times and stood up hastily, his chair skidding behind him. "Sorry sorry, I'm just-" He bit his lip hard, and started backing away from the table.

"Steve-" Andrew stood up as well, reaching out in an attempt to comfort his friend, but Steven quickly stepped back, his hand darting up to wipe his face. 

"No just-" He inhaled sharply and cast a glance at me, eyes red and puffy from the tears. "God Ryan do you not think before you say shit" He muttered. I felt a pang of guilt surge through my chest. I opened my mouth to apologize- "No don't even- don't even try man" Steven snapped before turning away from me and rushing for the door, leaving everyone in stunned silence, including Andrew, who was still standing, looking dumbfounded. 

"Jeez didn't know he was so salty about the trial-" Curly winced, watching as the Mcdonalds door slammed shut. Andrew sighed and grabbed his bag for school, slinging it over his shoulder. 

"Yeah he's just- really torn up about ranking so low but he'll uh- he'll be alright." But Andrew didn't sound very sure of himself. "I should probably go make sure he's alright-"

"Look I didn't mean to hurt his feelings or anything-" I quickly blurted out, Andrew turned to me, face unreadable. He shook his head a bit and pushed in his chair. 

"Don't be too hard on yourself Ryan, he normally wouldn't care he's just- not been himself lately." Andrew quickly said his goodbyes and darted off after his friend, leaving everyone else to eat their lunch in uncomfortable silence. Eventually, everyone started dismissing themselves, suddenly having other very important things to attend to. I was soon the only one left, looking down at my food without much of an appetite. Means to say I was surprised with someone plopped down next to me. I looked over to see a familiar long-limbed dude sitting next to me, sipping a milkshake with his good arm, his other was left in a splint due to his injury from the trial.

"Wow, really got a lot of pals here Bergara." He smirked, setting his milkshake down as he gestured to the empty booth. "Social game truly on point." 

"Shut up Shane." It came out meaner than usual and I grimaced, retreating into my iced tea. Then I paused, quickly turning to Shane. "Hey have you noticed anything- weird going on with the students here. Like- I dunno people acting strangely?" I blurted out, quickly regretting saying anything as soon as I saw his confused expression.

"No, I can't say that I have- why?"

"Don't worry about it." I huffed and took another sip of my tea. I could feel his eyes on me and I scoffed turning to him again. "What is it that you wanted so badly that you tracked me down for?"

"Oh right!" He leaned over and pulled a plastic bag out from his side of the booth, setting it on the table. He quickly stood up and pushed it toward me, checking the time. I raised an eyebrow before peering inside, surprised to see a shoebox sitting inside. 

"You uh- why?" I looked up at him in surprise, shocked by the gift. 

"Well, we obviously have a lot more training to do so you can't be doing it with one shoe." He smiled, just barely, taking another sip of his milkshake. I reached inside the bag and pulled the box out. 

"Well uh- thanks I guess-" I paused as I opened the box, my eyes falling on the monstrosities laying inside. My jaw dropped just barely and I shook my head. "You did not-"

"I did."

"You ass"

"You're welcome" I looked back up at him to see the massive grin on his face. I looked back down at the brown boots, grimacing at the sight of them.

"You're terrible."

"Aw thank you." He winked and pushed the box closer toward me. "See look, now we can match."

"Wow just- wow."

He grinned and gave me a quick pat on the head, which I swatted away before turning on his heel and sauntering out of the Mcdonalds. I stared down at the boots, appalled by their appearance, everything about them made me sick. But then I noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the box, which I pulled out and unfolded, it was a note from Shane. 

_Thanks for not letting that Brent guy kill me. Now we're even....kinda._

I couldn't help but chuckle at the note, I folded it up and put it back in the box, tucking it away into the bag. My worries about Steven now temporarily forgotten I left the McDonalds with one thing on my mind.

Does payless allow returns?

Also, maybe this Shane guy isn't as much of a dick as I thought he was-

I almost laugh out loud from the thought alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on vacation next week which means no update for a while sorry!!  
> Please leave a comment they make my day :)))


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOWZA it's been awhile. Some stuff happened and I didn't really feel like writing for a bit but i'm back!! Looking back at it I really do like this fic so hopefully ya'll out there reading it enjoy it as much as i do! Don't expect frequent updates cause I am really busy but i'll try my best! (Also this chapters pretty intense to make up for the lack of updates haha ;) )

"Ryan watch out!" 

Shane's voice echoed in the empty arena, I spun around on my heel and lifted up the metal staff I held, the metal clanging against the holograms sword with a sharp ring. I grunted, pushing my weight against the glowing blue figure, muscles in my arms aching from the effort. My eyes flicked over to Shane who was preoccupied with his own hologram, the two sparring with their own weapons. I turned my gaze to my opponent, feeling the sweat drip down my forehead, despite the chill in the room which led to the billow of steam escaping from my lips. I sucked a large breath in and released my weight, ducking aside and causing the hologram to stumble. I spun the staff around and imbedded it into the figure, the hologram quickly disappearing in a flurry of neon blue pixels. I turned, wiping the sweat from my brow just as Shane did the same, banging his staff against the ground with a huff of exertion. 

"The new weapon thing is cool." I said between bated breaths, twirling the staff in my grip with practiced ease, the cold metal feeling all too familiar in my fingertips. 

"Yeah figured it would give us an edge, especially with people like Steven who can summon weapons and stuff-" Shane walked over to the control panel and flicked it off, plunging us both into a dim darkness. My staff shrunk down to the size of a pen and I tossed it over to him, which of course he caught without even having to look. I trudged over to where I left my bag and rummaged around for my sweatshirt, the cold from the arena starting to seep back into my skin as the adrenaline wore off. I went to grab my phone, out of habit but then remembered its absence, instead opting to grab my water bottle.

It was odd, falling into this type of routine. Considering unless we were in the room together (which was rare as he's never around) or in a trial we didn't really talk. This was the only time we really "hung out" (if that's even what you would call it.) After the first trial and Shane gave me the boots there was this sort of- unspoken agreement to not be total assholes to each other. (Although we still had our moments.) So rather then be total dickheads 24/7 we settled for lots of uncomfortable silence and the occasional squabble. It was...weird to say the least. But that's kinda on brand for the big guy. 

"So same time tomorrow?" I inquired as I slid my sweatshirt over my head, running a hand through my hair to smooth it back down. 

"I think we could use a break don't you?" He grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "We've been at it almost every night the past few weeks-"

"Don't- don't say it like that" I nearly gagged on my water, screwing the cap shut. 

"Say what-?" He stared back at me, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Going at it" I raised an eyebrow at his blank expression. "You know like-" I found myself at a loss for words. "Nevermind- jeez man did you go to catholic school or something-"

"Homeschooled actually" 

"Well that makes sense." I offered a teasing smirk. To which he overdramatically rolled his eyes in response. 

"Look whatever- just I need a break. So do you I don't need you passing out at the next trial." 

"I'm fine." I threw my backpack over my arm. "And i get it, you need to catch up on your beauty sleep" I started for the door, clapping him on the arm as I passed him. "You really could use it!" I called over my shoulder. Earning him flashing the finger in response. I smiled to myself as I stepped outside into the courtyard, wrapping my arms around myself as the cold wind hit me full force. 

I was almost tempted to wait for him so we could walk back together. But that would border a little too closely on friendly. And we're not there yet- 

Yet? Ah fuck it. Life is weird. So is Shane Madej. 

~

"Ryan again? It's like 2am" Sara stood in her doorway, dressed in her pajamas, curly hair falling in a mess around her face. I could hear Jen snoring in the darkness as well, the loud noise piercing the quiet of the otherwise silent dorm building. 

"I was supposed to go out with Steven and Andrew, but they never came over, and shanes off doing god knows what so we can't train- c'mon i'm bored" I practically pleaded, leaning against her doorframe.

"Ryan you're out like every night- get some sleep man." She blinked up at me lazily, her face flushed from the cold. "Shane's taking some time of training why don't you?"

"Cause-" An answer couldn't seem to present itself. I hadn't been sleeping much sure- but its college, who sleeps at this age anyways? I bit my lip looking down the dark hallway, the looming shadows reminding me a bit too much of- well you know.

"Are you having bad dreams? Is it Brent?" 

"No-" I answered quickly, sighing heavily. "I'm just- nevermind." I started to pull back and Sara sighed, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind her with a quiet click. 

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing- I told you." 

"You sure?" 

"Absolutely" I offered a smile. She didn't return it. 

"He's probably just busy Ryan- we all are."

"Who-?"

"Shane-"

"Hah!" I couldn't help but let a laugh escape at that. "Trust me I am not losing sleep over that guy." 

"Yeah okay" She reached up and rubbed her eyes. I started to feel bad for waking her up. "Look whatever this is just-get some sleep" 

"Alright, alright" I threw my hands up in defeat. "Whatever you say mom." 

She rolled her eyes slapped me on the arm, I pretended to be hurt and she chuckled, gesturing for me to go away and I flushed, shoving my hands in my pockets, glancing down the dark hallway again, the hair on my neck standing up. 

"You need me to walk you back to your dorm?"

"Yes please".

We both walked in silence back to my dorm. Both shivering against the chill. When I got back she gave me a swift hug, I stood still for a moment, not expecting the display. 

"Get some rest please" She murmured, spinning on her heel and heading back toward the girls building. I watched her go and sighed, swinging the door open with a faint creak. The room was empty per usual. Shane had been skipping out on training the past few days. Maybe he finally actually made some friends. 

I lingered in the doorway. Not wanting to go out but not wanting to go to sleep either. The trials gave my mind a whole bunch of extra nightmare fuel, but now I was running out of excuses to stay up. I mean- its not like i'm actively trying to stay awake- i'm busy..yeah busy. 

We're all busy. Shane is, and Andrew and steven and- and me. 

I've got plenty of things to do. 

Nonetheless, I sat awake in the dorm for most of the night- doing absolutely nothing. 

But that was better then sleeping. 

~

_There were figures filling the hallway. All shadowy and dark. They were holding knives, glistening silver. I had to walk through, all of them standing so close I could feel their breath on their neck. They were whispering, too quiet for me to make out any words. Each time I passed one of them I feared it would be their knife to make the fatal move. But I made it to the end of the hall, where one figure stood, blocking the door. They tilted their head up, just barely. Their eyes were so so blue._

_Tap, tap, tap._

_They strummed their fingers on the handle of the knife. There was a flash of silver and then-_

"Mr Bergara!" I jolted awake, Mr. Norberry's voice drawing me from my dream. I shuddered, trying to chase the daunting images from my mind as the classroom turned to face me. 

"S-sorry" I stuttered out, eyes flicking down to my hands, which were shaking on the desk. 

"I'm sure if I were to tell your mother you were sleeping in my class she would not find it as ironic as I do, given her powers." Mr.Norberry chided, earning a chuckle from the class. He wasn't wrong. She can put people to sleep and here I am falling asleep in class. Mom would be rolling in her grave if she heard that (given she were actually dead as well)

"Right- my bad." I swallowed hard and sunk further down into my seat. Trying to push down the yawn rising in my throat. Mr.Norberry returned to his lesson, my mind drifting off elsewhere, back to the crowded hallway of my dreams. 

Who were all those people? Why did they all have knives? What's with the blue eyes thing-

My head hurt just thinking about it. Part of me wished I could call my mom, she was always better at interpreting that kind of thing- but it's not like she would answer anyways, she's probably busy organizing the heroes ball or saving the world or something.

Probably hasn't even noticed I haven't contacted her for all this time. 

My thoughts were interrupted by the bell ringing. I quickly started grabbing my things, surprised to find Mr. Norberry lurking at my desk when I stood back up. 

"Oh-!" I yelped, swallowing hard to try and disguise my surprise. "Hello Mr. Norberry-"

"Mr.Madej hasn't been in class for some time." He stated flatly, studying my face carefully with a cautious gaze. I turned my eyes down to where I was shoving things in my bag. 

"Yeah uh- he goes kinda m.i.a sometimes. But he'll be back soon i'm sure." I shrug, trying to keep my tone nonchalant despite his eyes burning into my back.

"Right-" Mr.Norberry sighed and strummed his hands on the desk, three times. 

_Tap, tap, tap._

My head quickly snapped up to look at his hand, then up at him. But where I expected to see blue staring back at me, his eyes were a dull brown.He almost seemed like he was...expecting that response. He withdrew his hand and nodded curtly, grabbing a book I hadn't managed to put away yet and handed it to me. As I grabbed it, muttering a quiet thanks he pulled me closer, lowering his voice to a murmur. 

"Be cautious Mr.Bergara, there are strange things afoot. And keep and eye out on that partner of yours." He released his grip on the book and took a step back. "And do remember- bad things always happen in three's." 

He turned away as students for his next class began to enter. I stood dumbfounded for a moment, before looking down at my book. Or what I thought was my book. It wasn't something I had brought. No- it was some history book titled " _Villains of the war: Where are they now?"._ I cast another confused glance at Mr.Norberry but he wasn't looking. Opting instead to speak to some of his students. I couldn't do anything but shove the new book in my bag and dart out of the classroom, mind abuzz with questions and heart racing with fear. 

~

"So wait I don't get it? Why give you the book?" Sara was flipping through the pages as I told the story of my odd encounter, looking just as confused as I was. Her food she ordered abandoned as she read. 

"I don't know- maybe it has something to do with all the weird stuff that's been going on-" I couldn't help but sound a bit excited. It was like my own personal mystery and now I finally had a clue. 

"I mean- to be fair Mr.Norberry is a little-" Curly interjected, making a twirling gesture with his finger. "Crazy ya know?" 

"Yeah well still- He noticed the tapping thing too!" I bit back, turning to shuffle around in my bag. "And that's not the only thing-"

"Ryan Curly has a point- maybe it was just a coincidence-" Sara added, her eyes flicking over me with a look I couldn't quite place. I pulled several pieces of paper out of my bag, showing her notes I had taken. 

"See look- I can't be the only one whose noticed-!" I stared at her expectedly as she skimmed through my notes. "And what he said about Shane-" 

"Shane's a nice guy though-" Jen cut in, sipping on a milkshake. "I mean atleast from what i've seen, little weird but not like the suspicious type." 

"Yeah but he disappears for days without telling anyone! That's a little weird don't you think?" Jen only offered a small shrug. I continued on. "Plus when he does get back all he does is sleep. He came back this morning and has been out all day!" 

"Ooo maybe he's a werewolf. That's kinda hot." Curly giggled, earning a laugh from Jen. 

"Guys this is serious- right sara?" I spun back to Sara, who was looking at me again with that expression- oh. 

It was concern.

"Ryan have you been getting enough sleep?" She inquired softly. I groaned and grabbed my notes back from her. 

"Again with this? I'm fine alright. Look I really think something is going on here-" 

"I know you do but-" She bit her lip, looking at Jen and Curly. "Look it's just not like Mr.Norberry is the best source-" 

I huffed and shoved my stuff back in my bag, standing up quickly. "Alright nevermind"

"Ryan c'mon-" Sara pleaded.

"No it's- you're right it's stupid" I couldn't keep the anger from my voice. 

"I didn't say it was stupid!" 

"Yeah well-!" I threw my hands up, then swayed dangerously, dizziness washing over me. I stumbled grabbing onto the table. Jen quickly stood up and grabbed my arm to steady me. 

"Ryan-!"

"oh mijo-" Curly soothed, standing up to help as well. "Are you coming down with something- I know Stevens been sick-". 

"I'm fine-" I mumbled. Closing my eyes trying to catch my bearings. 

"When's the last time you slept?" Sara was standing now too. 

When was the last time?

I found myself shaking Jen and Curly off, and putting my hands up. 

"How many times do I have to say i'm fine- look I gotta go-" I spun on my heel starting off for the door.

"Ryan!" Sara called after me

"Don't- he probably just needs to be alone right now." Curly gave a quiet response. I found myself closing my eyes as I swung the restaurant door open, the light burning a bit. 

I'm fine. 

~

The journey back to my dorm building was hazardous to say the least. My legs felt like they were full of lead. Every ounce of my being was screaming at me to sleep. But I couldn't- too much to do. Especially now with everything going on-

I stopped in the dorm bathroom, ducking my head down into the sink to rinse my face off. I looked up into the mirror and my eyes were bloodshot. 

"Dude- what is going on." I muttered to nobody in particular. I ran my hands down my face- freezing when I heard someone groan from one of the stalls. I slowly turned, going silent when I heard it again- someone sounded hurt. I walked slowly over to the stall and knocked. 

"Hey man- you okay?" I inquired, hoping the guy was actually hurt and not just seeking some "privacy". I shuddered at the thought. There was a moment of silence then a click and the door opened, revealing a familiar face. 

"Ryan?" Andrew stared back at me, eyes wide in surprise. He had a stream of blood dripping from his nose, eyes red and puffy. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I would ask you the same thing!" I backed up, letting him out of the stall. "You alright!? 

Andrew didn't respond right away, opting instead to gnaw at his lip. I could see a bruise on his cheek aswell, worry starting to creep up my spine. 

"Look dude if there's something wrong-" 

"I think you were right-" He blurted out, cutting me off. "A-about people acting weird I think something is happening- something really bad-" Andrew started rambling on. I grabbed his shoulders, making him look at me. 

"Andrew- what happened?" Our eyes met, I could feel static electricity buzzing beneath my palms from his nerves. 

"It's-" 

He was cut off by the bathroom door swinging open with a loud clang. Both our heads turned to see Steven, lurking in the doorway. His head hung low, hair looking almost soaked with sweat. His hands were in fists, trembling. 

"Steven? You alright bud?" I took a step toward him but Andrew pulled me back. I shot him a look but then I saw his face. Eyes wide in  _fear._ Afraid of Steven? I stepped in front of Andrew, looking Steven up and down. "Look man I heard you weren't feeling well shouldn't you be in bed?-"

"I can't help it Ryan" Steven hissed out in a low voice. "He just made me so mad- I couldn't- I can't help myself." His words slurred together, not making much sense. He took a step forward and swayed, grabbing the wall for support. I reached out to help him but he grabbed my wrist, tight. His fingers turning to solid gold.

"Ah-" I yelped, trying to pull back. 

"Why were you two in here together? B-by yourself. Did I do something wrong Andrew?" He squeezed harder on my wrist and I gasped, my knees buckling. "Tell me!" He shouted, the sound echoing in the empty bathroom.

"Steven what the hell!?" I reached up to try and pry his hand off my wrist, his other hand reached up in a quick movement, fingers wrapping around my throat. I gagged and grabbed desperately at his hands. His head turned down to mine and our eyes met. 

_Shit._

There was shuffling behind me and all of a sudden Steven released his grip and I collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. Steven stepped past me and toward Andrew who was now cornered against the back stalls. His eyes wide as he looked around for somewhere to go. 

"C'mon Steven this isn't you man-" Andrew pleaded, putting his arms up. "You know I don't want to hurt you-"

"As if you could" Steven growled. His whole arm turned to gold and he swung, luckily missing and denting a bathroom stall door. Andrew tried to race past him but Steven grabbed him by the back of his shirt and slammed him against the wall, Andrew cried out in pain. There was a flash of electricity, the jolt shot up Stevens arm but merely flickered and died. 

_Gold is an amazing conductor of electricity- hah. Now I get it._

Steven lifted his other arm and went to throw another hit, but some crazy part of me decided it would be a good idea to dive and jump on Stevens back, my arms wrapping around his neck. Steven gasped and stumbled back, letting Andrew fall to the floor. 

"Andrew go-! Get help!" I shouted, just before Steven slammed be back into a stall door, pain spiking up my back. I fell to the floor, listening as the bathroom door slammed shut. I tried to stand but before I could Steven was back in front of me, looming tall, the linoleum lights of the bathroom casting him as a dark sillhouette above me. 

_Shadowy figured lined the hallway-_

My breath caught in my throat as the realisation hit me. I grabbed onto either side of the stall and used the momentum to kick him in the stomach. He fell back with a heavy thump and I raced to my feet, running for the door, heart beating so fast it just about slammed out of my chest. I was almost there but a firm hand grabbed my ankle, dragging me to the floor. I looked up and Steven was climbing back to his feet, eyes nearly completely blue, almost...luminescent. Blue lines forked along his face, looking like a glowing circuit board. 

A circuit-

_The hacker._

My stomach lurched as Steven- or not Steven stared down at me. Panting heavily. He licked his lips, which looked cracked and dry. 

"I don't want to hurt you Ryan- I d-don't. But I'm so- so  _mad"_ He spit out, voice lined with hurt. He gritted his teeth, tears forming in his eyes. "And I don't know why! God I'm so angry!" he just about shrieked, spinning and slamming a golden fist into the sink, sending porcelain flying and water bursting out of the now broken pipe. He kept crying out "Angry, angry, angry!" As he smashed the glass to bits. I took this outbreak as a chance to escape hurrying to my feet, boots skidding on the slick tile.. I ran for the door but he got there first- blocking the way. My whole body shook, mind reeling for a way out. 

"Steven please-" I croaked out. Just before he slammed his fist into my chest. I fell backwards, my head hitting the broken end of sink sticking out of the wall.

There was a moment where all I saw was red. 

Then I was on the floor, a numbness creeping over my limbs. I looked up at Steven who was staring down at me in horror. Mouth making words that I couldn't hear. I turned my head just barely, to see the pool of red growing around me. 

Then everything went dark. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you liked it! It was everyones amazing comments that made me continue this! Peoples responses are really my main inspiration to write <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic has been getting a lot of love and support lately so like??? Thank you??? I'm having a rough time irl so making something that people can enjoy really makes me soft <3  
> Anywho here we go boys (it's shorter then usual but some thicc chapters are on the way trust me)

It feels like i'm falling. 

The way my stomach drops and the air leaves my lungs, it's like that first fall on a rollercoaster, where you take that initial dive into oblivion. That's what it feels like. 

I can't see anything for a moment. Just dark all around me. Not like scary dark- just like a lightbulb went out. Then things start to come into focus. Just shapes and lights and colors. I can feel all of it buzzing around me. All of the _energy._ I can feel my pulse, dull and slow. I can feel the water rushing through the pipes and the electricity from the lights. I can feel someone else. Their  _fear._ That's the most prominent. The thick heavy waves of dread pulsate around me, making my head throb. I reach up and cover my eyes, trying to make it go away. When I put my hands down everything comes into sharp focus, like when you try on new glasses. Everything is a bit over saturated-

Oh shit-

I was standing in the bathroom. Looking down at well- myself. I was outside of my body. Looking in as if watching a television show. I was astral projecting. 

I didn't look particularly great. I was laying in a puddle of water from the busted sink, blood from my head seeping slowly into the water in a blossom of red. Steven was there, standing over me- pale as a ghost. I could hear his heartbeat in my head. Fast and loud. 

_That's new._

I tried to move but I was stuck in the spot. All I could do was stand and watch. A silent spectator among the chaos. I observed Steven as he took a step back from me, eyes going wide in shock. 

"No, no, no, no" He mumbled, running his hands through a mess of silver hair. He let out a small choked sob and covered his mouth, muffling the wheezes escaping his chest. My stomach twisted watching him panic, his fear almost palpable in the room.

"I didn't mean it- I didn't- oh r-ryan!" He cried out, hands quivering as they ran down his face. He turned around and put his hands against the wall, before taking in a deep breath and turning his fists to gold, smashing punches into the brick, sending chunks flying. The feeling of anger hit me hard, so much so I staggered back. But before I could get my bearings the bathroom door swung open, a tall lanky figure revealed. 

_Shane._

Shane stood in the doorway, looking around stunned- until his eyes fell on me. He went nearly as pale as a ghost. He took a step toward me- like he wanted to help before pausing, his head snapping to Steven, who had turned around in alarm to Shane's entrance. There was a heavy breath of silence. Then chaos. 

Steven attacked first. Fists of gold turning to sharp claws as he lunged at Shane. Shane made his own claws, grabbing Steven's wrist and hair. Steven went wild, lashing out in a frenzy like a wild animal. Shane obviously wasn't expecting the assault and yelped out, flinching away and cupping his face. Now he was scared too. I could feel both of them- racing adrenaline flooding my senses in a way I hadn't experienced before-

I blacked out. 

Not for long, I phased back in, the world slanted and blurry. I was on my hands and knees, looking up at a flurry of gold and shadows as Steven and Shane clashed. Shane had a cut on his face that was bleeding profusely. He was trying to fend Steven off, but Steven was a storm of claws and frenzied kicks. Shane caught Steven by the stomach and flung him back, toward me. Well- into me. Steven phased right through me and into the wall behind me. I shuffled out of the way as Shane approached him, his hands full of shadow. His eyes looked dark- he had an expression I couldn't place. It wasn't a kind one. A sharp contrast to his usually snarky or friendly demeanor. It sent a chill down my spine I couldn't describe. 

"I know you're in there" Shane let out a low hiss to Steven, clenching his fists. "Let him go- he's a good kid." The anger dripping from his voice made me shudder again. Steven didn't respond. He just stared back at him with his big blue eyes and let out this deep inhuman sound before lunging. Shane tried to push him aside but Steven had grabbed a piece of glass from the floor and turned it to gold, slashing it across Shane's arm. Steven wrestled him to the ground, pressing the golden shard down against Shane's throat, blood starting to bead beneath the sharp edge. 

_I have to do something._

I looked around desperately. Trying to figure out what to do- I looked down at a heavy chunk of sink on the floor- 

"Steven please-" Shane croaked out, fighting against Steven with every ounce of his being. He was obviously burnt out, his face a ghastly white, only wisps of shadows appearing at his fingertips which were gripped around Steven's wrists. Steven stared down at him, face devoid of everything and anything that once was the kindhearted boy I had met at the pairing ceremony. All I could feel was hot rage, bubbling all around him- but then deep down at his very core was that pure dark fear. The last bits of Steven screaming out in the dark. I closed my eyes and sunk into it. I could hear his voice- calling out through the shadows. And I could hear his heart thumping in my skull. 

_Thump, thump, thump._

My body shook as I drank in that dread, my eyes snapped open and all I could see was white. I screamed for Steven- feeling all that fear lash out from me like I was opening a tap that had been rusted shut. I heard glass shatter and a gust of wind beside my ear. The porcelain flew, slamming down against Steven's head. He stiffened up then fell slack against Shane- his grip on the glass falling slack sending the gold clattering to the floor. 

I saw Shane's face, his eyes wide as he looked around the room. He was okay- 

He was okay. 

Then all I could hear was static.

~

"Ryan- ryan man please don't be dead"

A voice pierced through the darkness. I could feel a hand on my face, fingers along my throat, seeking for a pulse. 

"C'mon- c'mon" 

He was scared- I could feel it.

How could I feel it? 

He was crying out for help now. I could hear it somewhere far away. His hands never left my throat, even as I slipped away again into the cold. 

~

The first thing I felt was the pain. 

Deep throbbing agony in the back of my head. I felt a groan rise in my throat, low and hoarse. My eyes slowly opened, harsh light above me making me squint and wince, the pain only getting worse. 

_What the fuck just happened?_

I blinked a few times, my eyes adjusting to the light. I turned my head slowly, despite the sharp sting from my every movement. I saw a heart monitor projected beside me, beeping dully as the neon blue line danced across the hologram. I was momentarily entranced before realising where I was

I remembered Steven- and the bathroom and Shane- _oh shit Shane_.

He saved my life-

But then I also saved his-

Somehow?

My head started to burn and I decided to bench that topic for now. However the universe decided to have other plans. 

"What!?" Shane's voice pierced my thoughts, outside of the curtain that surrounded the room of what I assumed to be the medical bay I was inhabiting. I went to sit up but quickly realised that wasn't happening. 

"Mr. Madej please keep your voice down-" The headmasters soothing voice drifted in, certainly not the voice I was expecting-

"No! No I don't understand!? You want me to just keep quiet about this-!?"

"It's in the best interest of the rest of the school-"

"The best interest!? The hacker is here! Don't people deserve to know!?" Shane was pissed. That much was obvious.

_Wait the hacker- here!?_

_"_ We don't know that he's here, we don't know anything that's why it's best-" 

"I know!" Shane's voice grew heavy with emotion. " I of all people know well enough what the hacker can do to people!" 

There was a heavy pause. My mind spun, trying to wrap itself around all of this-

"I understand your frustrations Mr. Madej-" her voice was cool, trying to diffuse whatever altercation they were having. 

"No- no you don't-" He snapped back. "You haven't a damn idea-"

"But I am doing this with your-" 

"Best interests at heart! I know" I could hear him huff, then his footsteps against the tile. "It's not like I have a choice anyway-"

"Mr Madej-" Headmaster tried to reason. But then a door slammed and the room fell into silence. I took in a sharp breath- trying to get my thoughts straight. 

_So what the hacker is here? And what did Shane mean he knew first hand- and why are we keeping quiet-"_

The curtain slid open, the metal rings sliding against the rod with a metallic clang. My eyes flicked up to the headmaster, who stood tall at the border of my room. 

"You're awake?" She inquired, blank eyes staring past me and at the wall behind me. 

"Yes-" My voice croaked. I cleared it the best I could. 

"Good...you had everyone worried for a moment there." She offered a tight smile. I didn't return it. 

"Why aren't we telling people what happened?" I started to sit up, wincing from the pain. She approached the bed, hand reaching for the edge, I took her hand and led her to it, feeling her cool chill run up my finger tips. 

"You really must stop eavesdropping Mr.Bergara-". She reached for my head and placed a hand on my forehead. I felt cold seep into my scalp and then a pleasant numbness. I sighed, feeling the pain dull. It reminded me of when I was young. Coming to council meetings with mom and dad, getting bumps and scratches and having her cool touch heal me back then. It was almost comforting having her there. 

"I know i'm just- I don't understand-if people are in danger."

"Nobody is in danger." She said quickly, withdrawing her hand. "We have it under control."

"Andrew was in danger- so was I and Shane and Steven-" I couldn't help but let irritation slip into my tone. How could she just act like everything is fine-

_Steven._

"He's safe" She spoke as if reading my mind. "All of them are."

"Where's Steven and Andrew?"

"Andrew is with family." She spoke curtly.

"And Steven?"

"Contained."

"Contained!?-" My voice cracked. 

"It's for his safety and everyone else's." She said softly. "We're managing the situation the best we can and we need your compliance to be able to continue that-"

Frustration bubbled up in my chest, the pain already starting to return. 

"Whose "we"? The council? You act like I don't know you guys! Like You can't tell me what's going on!" I couldn't help the way my voice wavered. All the craziness of the past few days started to dawn on me. My chest tightened. 

"Ryan don't-"

"Oh now you can call me Ryan? Thought it was "Mr.Bergara!" I almost laughed, A sharp and painful sound. I swear I almost saw her flinch as I raised my voice. 

"Enough of that" She spoke coolly. Any ounce of fondness she once had in her eyes had now ebbed away. I felt a chill run over me. "You're not to tell anyone of what happened here or there will be consequences. Understood?". 

I found myself saying "yes" even if I didn't want too. 

"Good. Now I do hope you feel better soon." She said, but she didn't really mean it. I could tell. She turned and headed back the way she came, boots clicking against the linoleum. I watched her go, anger still bubbling in my stomach, dozens of questions still burning in my skull. One in particular refused to leave me. 

"Did mom- Nightowl stop by?" My voice was smaller then I would have liked. It was all too reminiscent of many nights of my childhood. Waiting for her in bed like a little kid. Headmaster lingered in the doorway, her back to me. 

"She did yes- while you were out. But she couldn't stay long. She was-"

"Busy" We both said together. She let out a low sigh and shook her head. 

"Goodnight Ryan. Do please feel better." She meant it that time. She flicked her wrist as she closed the curtain behind her, and glittering snowflakes started to fall from nowhere. 

Classic, always got me to stop crying at meetings when I was little. 

I didn't even realise I was crying until I reached up and touched my damp cheek. I inhaled deeply and lay my head back on my pillow. Head throbbing too much for me to think about Shane or my mom or the Hacker. 

I just stared up and watched the snow fall down. Dozens of glittering flakes dancing around in the air, sparkling in the harsh artificial light of the med bay. 

~

It was snowing when Shane came into the room. Ryan was fast asleep, snowflakes dancing around the room. Shane would have been confused about it, however with Ryan stranger things have happened. 

The tall fellow lingered at the edge of the room. Unsure of what to do. He reached up and scratched at the bandage on his face, wincing a bit as the fabric rubbed against the fresh cuts. 

He flinched as Ryan started to twitch and grumble in his sleep. He never did seem to get a goods night rest. Shane was then amazed however as the light snowfall started turning into a miniature storm.  Ryan whined in his sleep and the storm grew stronger. Shane felt a pang of pity in his chest and slowly walked over, taking his hand and knocking the storm cloud away. It vanished between his finger tips and Ryan fell back into a silent sleep. Shane gave a small sigh and pulled a small package  from his pocket, setting it on the bedside table. He bit his lip and stared down at it, face lined with doubt. 

"Look just- we've saved each others lives like twice now. Maybe we can call a truce or something once you get up. " Shane spoke to the empty air, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Atleast...for now." He slowly spun on his heel and left the room, sliding the curtain closed behind him. He paused outside and moved his watch close to his face, tapping the screen where it lit up. 

"He appears to display some type of power concerning his dreams. More research necessary."

He tapped the watch off and left the room. The door clicking shut and leaving Ryan yet again-

Absolutely alone.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;) lemme know what you think, i thrive off of you guy's comments and theories. I'll even give a hint or two if I'm feeling spicy.


	8. H̵̢̡̹̱̯̣̜̩͛̋͋̇̔̾͆̎̚͜i̵̡̛̟͙̘̥̠̫͛̾͗͐̋̌̎̃̽̾͘̚͠m̶̫͉̈͑͝

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T̶̡̪͇͈͙͖͕̳̙̫̄̈́͗̕ḩ̷̡̭̱̗͎̼͉͉̻̳͇͕͉̗̹̱̦͇̪͍̹͌͂̑͛̊̾͒͗̊̐̾͊̀̊̑̅̕͜͝ę̴̩̖̑̄͗̌́̐̌̃̔r̸̡̡̧̛̻̺̦͎̰̦̱̱͇͚͚̲̺͈͈͉͍̤̟̞̲͇͓̟͛͐̀̿̍̒̿̉̐̽̈͛͊͌͊͐̀̈̂̍͘͘͜͜͝͠ͅͅȩ̵̧͖̰̳̻̭̝̤̭͖͓̓͆̆͛͑̍̐̏͊̇̄͗͐̕ͅ ̴̨̬͖͇̘̰͓̬̖͊̌̾̽̏̀̉̄c̵̝͒̄̅̒̔̐̿̍̔̆̓̑̈͂̍̑͒̓̕͠a̴̢̨̡͓͈̯̩̟̖̗̦̭̣̣̤͓̜͖̟̤͎̦̲̺̱̮̔̄̿̓̋̈̕̚͝n̴̡̧̨̛̤̹̬͔̗̬̘̩̩͙͑̃̆̈́ ̵̢̛̼̣̮̘̒͊̉̓̔̂͋͊̍̕͘͘ơ̷͚͉̇͗̿̿̎̈́̑̀́̿̈́͛͝͝͝͝ń̴̨̮͇̘̩͚̝͎̌̓̋̽̓͋͝ͅĺ̷̡̥̮̦̳̣̠̜̯̪̞̠̖̒͋̈́̀̒͂͊͛̌̔͐̍͒̈́̾̂̒̈́̕͜͜͝ỵ̷̨̧͉͓̣̟̲̻̦̹̣̪̟̦͈͖̺͓̤̟̮͚͛̎̿̔̍̀͑̓͊̈̓̍̿͋̇̇̎̓̅̕̕͝͝ ̸̢̛̱̭͕̥͍̟̪͙̻̩̙̫̹̖̠͍̻͕͍̥̞̦͚̋̋̄̀̈́͒̈́͊̊͆̂̂̆̂͑̅͆̒͆͆̊͝͠͠͝b̷̧̧̢̛̠̺̤͎̱͇͖̞͍̠̦̺̞̯͉̠̱͓̎̾͌͐̎̊͛͆̌̽͌̈͂͊͌͐͆̈́̇̕̕͝͠ͅę̶̧͕͇̻͊ ̵̛̭̬̈̏̇̆͐̒̑̈́͊̓̂̅̉͘̕̕ŏ̵̧̨̙̱͔͙̋̋̉̋̅̏̍̾̅͂͜͠͝͠n̵̛͓͖͈̝̞̣̙̖̹̦̦̜͙͍̖̬̜̅̒͊͐̄̆̐͂̒̆̊̄̾̕͜͝ͅȅ̷̢̡͙̩̲͎̮̖̞͚͎̬͎͌͆̆̅̐̇̾͌͛̈́̓͆̕̚̚ͅ  
> ̷̦̪̪̰͉͓͔̩͂̿͂͂̇̿̑

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> h̸̲̺̘̻̞̫̜̔̒̃̀̅͊͛̓̓̅̒̀͝ã̴̙̫̟̈̄͋͑̈̀̂̏͌̍̂̕h̴̨̥̬̫̣̰͂͗̊͘ȁ̶͈̯̠͎͈͈̠̀̽̄͌̂̓̒́̔̊͋͝ẖ̵̱̓̑̀̚̕͝h̴̨̛̛̭̥̣̱͚͓͈̙̖̮̰̪͌̈́̐͊͂̿̃̒͋͗̾͘͜a̶̛͓̿͗̏̐́̐̄̂͘ḣ̷̨̫̭͈̺͎̻̼͎͙͚̖̥̓̓̌̇̐̓͛̈́̆͋̇̚͘͜͝a̷̯̟͌̈̔͂̈́̈́͘̕

A low hum echoed through the old building. The sound of electricity pulsing through the otherwise quiet factory, the old rusted machinery sat still as it did all those years ago when the establishment closed, the outdated technology being put out of work after the technological revolution following the war. It was a relic of another time. A place where specials were forced to work, their powers taken advantage of for the "greater good" of society. If only the normals knew what occurred there now.

Deep within the bowels of the building, down below in the basement where the power generator was kept- a man sat hunched over, shrouded by darkness. He was dressed in dark attire, covered head to toe in black worn out fabric. His arms and legs were carefully draped over a stool, pulsing blue wires poking out from the fabric and vanishing down into the floorboards, electricity moving with every beat of his heart, sending power down below into a glowing blue electrical unit in the center of the room. Each pulse moved in a steady rhythm.

_Thump,thump, thump._

He liked the number 3. He never really knew why. It was odd- much like himself. An indivisible variable. He did everything in 3's. He took in three quick breaths and leaned back in his chair, darkness disguising his features, a silver hand strummed on a worn out desk, metallic fingers clicking-

_Click, click, click._

His eyes were shut- mind focused on the energy flowing from his blood stream, his mind racing along that trail of electricity from his veins, into the earth and along the dozens of power lines leading to his destination. 

The Academy. 

He moved through circuits and wires. Along the endless stream of data making its way through the high tech school. It was almost too easy, you would think they would put up some better firewalls. And yet, here it was. An entire school ripe for the taking.

He felt out into the darkness for a connection- then ah reached into a pulse of light drawing himself forward through the wire of a hairdryer, held by the hand of a young hero. Blond hair flowing beneath the warm burst of air. She flinched from the shock delivered from her hair dryer and dropped it to the ground with a metal clang. She examined her hand, now painted with a dark bruise. Her fingers ran over the surface, wincing as she did so. She went to put ice on it. But no cold could remove now the virus pulsing through her blood. Her mind now engraved with a new coding, a new mission. 

_K̵̗̩͚̼̞̞̥̠̙͈̫̹̬͓̺̟͍͜͝ͅi̵̜̘͇̺̘͉̬̘̤̭̖͇̺̬̫̐͂̈́͑̽͜͝͝l̸̡̛̲͇͔̖̻͉̪͍̘̘̳̪̪̤͚̯̹͂̆͗̉̍̒̅̍̂̋̿̏͒̅͋̈́͑͊͘l̷̥͉͖͓̟͌͆͂̏͘͜ ̷̧̨̩͇̜̱̩̝̦̼̗̜̼̒̒̒̐͒̄͂͐͗͆͗̒̋̀͋̋͆̎̒͘͘̕h̸̡̢͉̲̣̦̲̱͚̞̻͎̬͍̒̐͗̐͒̄̓̋̋͐̽̕͝į̴̮̟̤̟̫͇͙͉͙̐̍̎̎̂̎͌̕͘m̶̛̛̤͎͖͍̲͆̿̊̊̋͆̊͐͂̽͗_

She wasn't the only one. Each little wire linked another unit to his machine. Every beat of his heart pounding that coding deeper into their very being. He would get as many under his control as he could until his need was met. His every need, his every desire was set toward this goal.

H̵̭̫̩̝͍̱̀̈́͝e̸̡̨̳̜͓͊̌̉̽̈͠ͅ ̵̨̡̡͍͓̳̺͈̭̰̳̦̝̱̅̀͊̈́̄͜͜͜͝ͅḩ̵͎͕̼̪̳̖̫͔̰̗͖͖̫̳̹͕͕̻͙̓̑̋̃̋͘͘ä̵̻́͛̽̇͋͗̐̇̓̍̎̔̽͗͌̎̍̇͊͊͘̕s̴̨̨͈̺̘̙̟͓̲̎̿̾̉́͠ ̶̤̓̎̒̽͋͒̌̎̾̅̂̿̈́̿̀̒̓͝t̷̨̛̛͍̟̤̤̲̙͎͚̥͙͎̝̮̙̺̑̄͒͂̽̋̆͊̋͐͗̊̾͜͜͝ǫ̶̫̻͙̻̖̘̹̤͆̊̀̈́̀̋͠ ̵̧̨̻̯̞͖̣̝̭̰̭͇̦̮̬͆̑͐̑̊̀̃̋͜ͅd̶̛̛̩̯̝̜̥͖̱̩̪͍̝̽̈́̓͒̐̀̒̃͗̒̎́̕͠ḯ̷̧̳̟̹̘̲̪̠̩͖̩͕̱̠̲̖̘̬̹̥̮͜ͅe̴̛̛̞͉͔̰̯̺̯̦̖̙̭̞̘͔͈͌̂̆́̒̍̓̿̿̏̊̂̇͐̚͘͜͝͝͝͝ͅ ̴̥̂̑̆̿͒̔͐̂̑̈́̈́͂̐̎̏̚̕̚̚͘͘

He reached out again and found another, only this one was shrouded in darkness. _Interesting_. He extended his fingertips into this bundle of energy, only to feel a fiery hot pain and a flash of white. 

He jerked in his seat, sparks flying from one of the wires attached to his wrist. He hissed and ripped it from his skin, blood bubbling to the surface. He tossed the wire to the floor, where it fell with a dull thump. He leaned back in his chair, the old metal creaking with effort. His wrist bled, blood dripping onto the floor . He reached down and took the blood on his finger tips and brought his fingers to his lips. Tasting the metallic taste on his tongue. It kept dripping on the floor in an all too familiar rhythm.

_Drip, drip, drip._

He he let out a quiet laugh, a low and hollow sound. It was less the exhalation of air, and more the crackle of electricity, like a breaker blowing. The laugh grew louder, piercing the silence of the factory with a sound that could not be described with any human language. He leaned his head back, face still hidden under the canopy of shadows. Smile stretched across his face. His eyes snapped open. 

They glowed a bright blue in the darkness. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :̵̗͉̻̭̋̌̅̕  
> A̵̢̡̢̧̨̧̡̧̨̡̧̢̧̧̡̡͚̲͈̼̖̪̘̫͖̮͇̝̺̟̖̩̭̹̯͇͙͙͓̩̹̯͖̟̳̝͍̰͕͓̥̥̪͉̟̩̼̟̻̙͓̘̳͚̥̭͔̬̥̞̖̮̙͓̲̩̥̗̦͕̜̞͉͖̫͇̦̝̤̖͉̲̟͎̫̥͉͎̥̥̭̪̙̺̳͎̭̫̖̺̦̳͉̻̲̹̮̻̱̣̳͖͍̦͉̬̪̟͈̗̰̟̜̻͕̦͉̭̫̳̗̥͓̣̩̺͙̟͚͎̗͖͖̺̼̬͔̰̟̖̻͇̫͎̼̣̩̦͙̤̜̓͒̑̒́̒͂͆̔̔̅̈́̽͊̎̈́̿̈́͌̃͆̅̕̚͜͜͜͝ͅͅͅͅḨ̴̨̢̡̨̡̢̢̨̨̧̧̨̢̧̧̨̡̨̧̧̡̛͔̯̦̭̘͍͔̯͍̘̯͚̳̬͕̥̮̞̗̘͙̫̫͙̘̟͇̞̠̞̦̤̥̭̦͈̯͓̣̜̳̳̦̗̬̩̲͚͕͚͇͉̯͔̗̖͔̻̥̱̥̲͉̼͎̰̭̙̫̦͔̩̗̹͎͇̣͙̪̥̻̖͖͈̱̘̻̜̮̥̬̭̤͚̼͕͖͇͎͇̖̦̹̩̰̪͇̤̟͔̩̙̯̫̻̻̺̖̞̟͓͙̦̗̞̤̗̫͖̮͇̖̝̺͚̻̙͈̼͈̼̙͉͕͎̲̣̲̲̈́͒͆͜͜͜ͅͅͅͅͅͅͅÀ̴̡̢̧̢̡̡̧̧̢̡̧̺̝̥͙̥̹̰̻̖͇̬̣̖̪͎̜̼͔̙͔̘̭̼̹͍̼͉̤̪̺̦̙͇̳̗̫͎͎͓̯̘͇̱͚͇͇̻̩̙͉̭̪̖̲̟̩̰̳̗̭͕̳͎̙̯̖̞̗͎͔͕͎̱͈̺̩̰͈̼̱̗̭͕̗̫̺̻̟͎͇͇̯̥̙̖̼̠̺̹̘̹̝̯̠̝̹̖̘̱̗̰̦̺̻̗̹̀̓̓͆͆̽͗̑͗͌̊̑̾͋͌͂̈́̈̈̎͆̑̈́̈́̇̈́̚͘̕͘͜͜͜͜͠͠͠͠͝ͅͅH̴̨̢̨̛͚̰̺̠͚̬͔̳̪̖͚̫̗̟̲̖͍̩̲͚̗̣̘͉̳̫͙̤̗̞͔̭͍̠͚͉̾̉̒͛̑͆̄̋̂̓͊̓̌̄̒̿̒̆̋̓̑͂̒͒͑͂̄̏͊̽́̎͐̉́̾̏̂̃̏̾̔͛͂͆̿̒́̅͐͗̂͆͐̄̃͑̉̈̔̀̆͌͊̓͗̑̈́͊̎͌͋̑͌͊̓̉̏̕̚̕̚͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝ͅĄ̸̡̧̧̢̛̭̼̞̗͓̭͎̩̭̯̪̜͍̫̠̯̳̼̱̪̘̞̫̫̪̦̺̳̣̹͙͉̖̬̫̗̤̮͇̪̹͈͖̮̲̘͚͓͓̋̃̆͜͜͜͜͜ͅͅͅͅͅG̸̨̨̧̧̢̧̧̢̧̢̧̧̨̛̛̛̛̲̳̖͎̪͉̩̞̣̱̟̗̲̼͔̪̻͖͎̖͚͓͍̘̫̬̮̭̟̯͎̲͉̦̟̱͍̘̫̲̭̼̳̫̬̹̖̼͖͕̖̟̭̺͉̠̩̣̹̺̳̱̫̯̫̟̱̝̳͇̹̫̺̤̠̈́͂̃̾̾̂̅̿̆̃̓̈͗͊̃͛̈́̄̓̋̃̿̏̋̅̅̑͐͐̈́͆̈́͗̌͒̋́́̒̎̊͊̎͛͌͌̽̄̆̒̓͒̈́̎͋̉̔͛̈́̉̂̋̃̽͂̎̓͊̋̐̏̆̍̐̐̆̐͑͋̋͋̓͑̌̋̈́͆̈̇̀̃̽̓͒̅̌̓͛̽̉̎̎̿̉̈́̌͑̊̾͘̚̕̕͘̕̕͜͜͜͜͝͝͝͝͠͝ͅͅͅͅA̷̧̡̨̡̨̧̡̡̡̧̡̢̧̨̛͚̦͍̞̱̳̫̝̠̳̯̯͍̖̜̖̹̘̹̘̙̰͎̦̱̭̦̹̦̺̳͎̦̠̙͔̘̠̯̮̩̣͚̠̰̙̰̜̞͈͇͕̘̩̩̭͖̟͎̘̦͓͈̻̦̫̹̹̦͖͔̠̙͎͔̰̦̤͎̼̟̩̟̱̯̤͈̻̫̠̮̜̯̪̩̖̟͚̟͓͇̞̳͕̞̖̲͇͉͇̫̻̹̖̥͑̊̌͑͑͒̑̈́́̓͒̈́̏̅͆̃̐̂͋̄́͑̐͌̐̀͒̎̽͊̎̽̔̇̅́͒̊̾̌̀̇̐̃̓́̿̾̅̈́͛̍̂̒̈̊̊̔͂̏͂̈́͗̍͐͛̆̉̊̃̋͗͛͒̈́̓͊͌̏͌̇̽̈́͘̕͘̚̕̚̚̚͜͜͜͜͠͠͝ͅḨ̴̨̢̧̛̛͎͖̪̹̖̜̯̝̞̞͚̳͈̭̜̜̯̻̱̺̲̜̺̰̯͙̼͔͈͚̙͕̻̳̦̬̳̘̮͇̪̣̬̞̖̹̥̪̇͊̌̓̉̋̏͂̍̉̈́̏̾̅̀̏̄̈́̑̇͛̓̑̓̈̐̉̈́̍̃͂̃͑̑̂̈́̽̈́̿͗̋̂̋̾̌̄͌̎͛̒͌̌̓̊̽̓̈̊̿̂̓̈͆̅̽̆̔͆̑̓͛̐̔̾̾̒͋̓̐̓̾̂̍͒̽́̓͒͗̊̂̉͗͑̂͑̈́̌̐̾͆̎̉͂̋̀͑̅͐͌̈́̓̎̃͊̔̓̈͌̈̔̾̊̌̂̅͐͋͛͛̿͑͋̈́̊̊̎̎̔̂̿̓̌̎͘͘̚̕͘͜͜͜͠͝͝͝͠͠͝͝͝͠ͅǍ̵̡̧̢̡̢̧̡̧̢̧̨̢̧̢̧̨̧̢̡̧̛̛̛̛̛̜̮̪͍̠̲̭͎̩̦͍̙̬͇̝̥̗̝̜̻͚͔̦̤̞̪͉̼̯̝̗̳͓̙̖̥̱͖̩͎̙͓͕̩̫̳͓̺͈̳͕͕̤͇̞̟̠̝̠̪̱̭̯͍͙̺̯͇̠̱̬̥̫̙̖̟͚̮̻͉̯͉̦̬̮̝̟̺̳̤̗̙̹̬̮͕̼͓̟̙̜̭͔͇͇̦̪̗̭̖͔̓̓́̾̃̄̅̀̊͒̏̇̾̍̎̅̿̏̓̅̂̎̏̅͆̈́͗̄̄͌̄̒͊̈̄̔̊̃̏̂̑̌̃̒̓͂̔͌̈͐̄̐̑͋̐̆͋́̈́̀͐̌͛̾̉͑̔̄̈́̽̇͊̑̿̿̊̾͑̆͊͌͐́͑͒͑̒͂͛̈́̿̔͊̈́̋̉͐̇̔̅͋͗͐̀̎̅̈́̋̎̉̀̈̾̍͋̉̿͗͒̎͑̌͋͐͑͋̄̊̒̑͐͊̈́̒͐̂̑̎̉͐̔̏̄͒̅̃̇̾̂̓̌̕̕̚̕̚̕̚͘̚̕͜͜͜͜͜͜͠͝͠͝͠͝͝͝͠͝͝͝͝ͅͅͅḨ̴̡̡̨̡̡̡̥̝̤̯̺̼̮͈̫̳͉̳͓̹̫͓̳͈̮̝͈̻̝̳̞̟͚̙̝̜̹̙̣̗̥̙̱̝̘͔̳̟̬̟̣̻̜̝͇̜̹͉̹̗̘̝͈̫̘͎͍̩̬̰͍̲̱̥͚͍͆͊͒̿̀̐̈́̒̌͌͐̓͂͆͆͒̇͗͐̓̉̍̾̓͌̉̌̏͗̈́͛̽̎͑̒̿̽̔̌̐͆͋͑̔̓̈̔͐̌̍̏̈̏̑͛̅̆̓̑̿̃͂̇͊̉̇̏̌̊͊͆̍̾͊̑̃̈́̂͑͗̆̊͋͋͋͊͑͛̐͑̓͐͋͌͒̾̑͋̎̇͋͒͆̔̈̉͂̎͐̈́͋̈́̑̇̈̋͒̈́̔̚͘͘͘̕̚̚̕̕̕̕͜͝͝͠͝͠͠ͅͅĄ̸̧̡̡̢̨̡̡̧̧̧̢̨̨̨̢̢̝̱̗̥̫̙̙̣͕̱͙͓̳͈̲͍͍͔̥͙̮̘̮̪̞̹̠͍̖̘̣̫̖͖̝͇̙̼͎͍̗̯͖̯͓̱̲̲͇͎̜̺̯̰͔̪̣̫͇͉̱͔̖̺̝̰̫̩̜͔͕̖̱̺̗̝͔͕̱͍̮͇̣͈̟̱̠͚̭̪̯̤̜̼̘͙̰͇̜͕̬̩̠͈̤̥̺̱̤̫̖̯̤̻͉̜͚͔͖̩͎̝̼̣͇͇̮̘̝̞͈͍̼̝̥͈̰̯̫̦͈̯̜̪̜̹͓̙̹̜̬̝̥͇̟̩͍͎̦͆̔̆̆̓͂̍͜͜͜͜͜ͅͅH̵̨̡̢̧̢̢̢̧̧̡̢̛̛̛̩͈̙͖̦̭̤͖͇̠̮͉͖̩̠̼͈̝͓̤̰͚͇̱̥̖͓͓̟̖̞̣̻̗͓̣̣̺̹̮͍̻̰̪̟̻̹͖̘͕͇̩̲̺̖̟̬͎̦̪̮̞̬̻͕̙̗̹̥͈̫̬͖̮͓̫̗̪̠̱̫̫̬̞̹̳͚̩͕͍̯̮̤͖̬̥̱̣̠̠̞͎̩̳̖͎̣̜̳̬̭͔̥̼͓̙̼̘͚̫͍̱͈̣̠̖͍͈͍̱̮͒̒̒̂̂͒̑̋̑̂̽̎̓̾̾̏̀̃̐͋͌̆͐̍̋̈́̃͗͊̓̀̓̈́͌̊̋́̌̇̃͌̒̇̓̌̅̀͐́͊͆̓͗͒̌͂͌̊̉͗́̓́̎̅͆͒̈́̓́͂͗̏͆̔͆͋̈́͐̈́̓̎́̾̈́͌͗̇̈̐͋͐́͑͂͗̀͊̏̃̽̈́̊̀̐̈͌̈͑̽̉̂̋̿̕̚̚̕͘̚̕̕̚͘͘̚͜͜͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝ͅA̸̡̢̡̧̛̛̛̛̛̦͔̙̹͉̦̝͕̞͈͍̟̠̺̤̹͔̘͍͕̭̪̫̮̯̮̠̥͔̮̼̫͈̟̝͚̯̠̺̯̜̣͉̣̠͇͓͍͎̤̼̘͍̲̰̼͍̩̺̻̠̭̠̤̬͙͇̦͌̇̑̂̓̎́̎́̃͒̎͆̐̇̃̐͂̍́̐͗̐̀̋̑͗̆̇͑̾͗̀́͑̏͋̇̆̎̎͂̑̓͛̋͑̄̆̉͂̎̀͌͛͆̉̂͒̊͗̆̐̾̈̐͑̏̅́̾̍̐̈́̿̒́̅̎͐͂͑̇͐̈́͒͂̏̋̾͊̓̓͒̓̊͗̚͘͘͘̚̚̕͜͜͝͠͝͝͝͝͝ͅH̸̢̡̡̨̧̡̧̡̡̨͓͙̝̞̠̮̪͍͚̬̟͚̗̗̯͚̣͓̯͍͍̺͇͍͕̙̣̻̤͎̻̟̤͖͚͎̙̜̝͈̘͇̘̻̞̭͉͍̱̲̬̩͍̠̩̦̳̺͙͙̼̜̲̟̭̪͇͖͚̞̤̤̳͕̹̙͕̼̩̠̱̦̬̦͇͔͍̱̠͓̤̗̺̒͆̉̅̆̐̇͌̀̎̍͋̉̃̾̍̿̏̈́̏̔̂͜͜͝͝ͅͅͅͅͅͅḤ̸̢̢̢̨̡̧̢̛̩̣͕͙̹̻̲͔̮͕̮̰̞̻͉͙̖̗̝̪̼̻̹̥̻̯̩̯̲̠̱͈̩͈͇̜͔̘̹͕̻͎̭̗̹̤̳̤̩̩̹̹̮̠̜̜͍̰͖̭̝̣̮̯̗̫͖͍̼̲̗̫̲̮̥͈̪̟̻͚̻͔̝̜̣͍̭̰̫̯͙͖̟̋̍̂̆̓̏̌͒͊̇͐̋̍̐͛͊̌͌̅̓͑͑̀̈́̉̋͗̌͒̓̂̈́̌̓͗̅̃͂̈́̈́͒̑͊̿̄̋̀͒͌̈̔̍͑̅̌̓̔̊̒̌̿̓̒̈́̄́̎̓͒̿͛̓͒̍͊̓̋͆̀̇̑͊͗̿̐̈́͊̄̋͑͆̽͛̿͊͋́͐̇͊̊͑̈́̆͌̆̍̊̆͊̒̕̕̚͜͜͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͝͝ͅͅA̴̡̧̡̢̧̨̨̨̨̨̢̛͍͇͚̘͕͙̰͙̺͓͚̼͉͚̪͕̗̣͙͖̱͖̜͈̝͚̼̼͚̱̞̹͇̭̱̳̟̣̳̮̜̜̩͔̙̜͚̪̗̭̜̠͇̰͉͉̣͚̙͍̹͔̱̝͙͔͖̳̯̩͍̤͖̫̰̘̬̩͙̘̤̠̭̞̫̘̳̲̫̻̫̳͓͓͕͔̺̯̤̱̼͖̜̬̱̘̠̼͎͈̺͔͚̣͉̲̦͛͆̆̈́̈͗̂̏͆͗̊͘͜͜͜͠ͅͅͅͅ  
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	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to our regularly scheduled programming :)

I awoke with a jolt, the image of glowing blue eyes seemingly stitched into the back of my eyelids. It's all I would dream about while i've been in the medical bay. Those shimmer cyan irises and a knife in my back. 

Maybe I should try a dreamcatcher. 

My head pounded from the quick movement of sitting up and I went to reach up to rub my temple but a sharp pain shot up my arm. I looked down at where my IV was connected to my wrist and was surprised to see a dark bruise surrounding the needle. I grimaced and rubbed the sore spot with my free hand. 

I should probably mention that to the nurse when she gets back here. 

I try and get comfortable again, having a hard time finding a position where my head didn't feel as if it were about to combust. I ended up on my stomach, face buried into my pillow, trying to block out the lights from the room from reaching my eyes. This temporarily soothed the pain- and just as I thought I could fall back into the lull of sleep-

"Rise and shine!" I could hear the curtains into my room slide open, accompanied by a chorus of cheers. I let out a low groan and rolled over, blinking a few times in surprise at the sight before me.

"Surprise!" Cried out- well everyone. Sara and Curly and Jen and Jazz (curlys partner, not really sure why she was there but hey I'll take it.) They held balloons and gifts and before I knew it they were all piling on top of me. 

"Guys-! Can't breath!" I choked out beneath the mountain of people now stacked on my bed. There was a murmur of "sorry's" and "my bad's" as they clambered off of me. 

"You look so much better!" Sara chirped, eyes flicking over me cautiously. I'm sure she was just being generous as I still looked like a big pile of shit.

"Yeah you totally looked like you were gonna die when they brought you in-" Curly interjected, earning a smack from Jen. 

Sara rolled her eyes. "Yeah right but anyways how are you feeling? You must be feeling better if you're being released-"

"Released?!" I blinked up in surprise. 

"Oh right- they said you were good to go today, you're concussion is just about better so-" Everyone held up their gifts and ballons "ta-da!" She offered a bright smile. 

I gotta say- not expecting that today. I didn't actually feel much better. My head still hurts like a bitch, not to mention I have barely been out of the bed in- well I don't even know really. However with another glance at everyone's smiling faces I decided to just roll with it.

"That's uh- great. Thank you guys you didn't have too-"

"No way! Dude I can't even imagine what you've had to deal with I mean- it's just crazy what's going on." Her eyes flicked down to the floor and she bit her lip. With a look at everyone else they were doing pretty much the same. A realization struck me. 

"Oh guys c'mon- you're not actually feeling guilty about this-"

"You tried telling us something was up and we didn't listen" Jen blurted out, earning some harsh glances from the others.

"Guys I was really out of it, I probably sounded insane it wasn't your fault-" I tried to soothe. 

"Yeah but its just awful" Sara huffed, laying her gift bag on my bedside table. "This sickness that's going around has affected so many of the kids here- we're all lucky it could have been any of us." She lamented softly. Curly and Jen nodded quietly with her. I felt a pang at my chest, wondering how many kids have ended up like Steven- poor Steven. The room felt painfully empty without him and Andrew. The silence settling into the room was palpable.

_The sickness. Hah that's what they're calling it._

My stomach twisted at the thought. The whole coverup was ridiculous. If what Shane said was right then we were all in danger, and they're writing it off as some  _Sickness._

"But hey! They've got the cure figured out so everyone should be back in no time!" Curly clapped a hand on Sara's shoulder who nodded, the faintest smile returning to her face. 

"O-oh really?" I tried to suppress my surprise. 

"Oh yeah! We had this big assembly a few days ago. Headmaster said they had run a bunch of tests and stuff but figured it all out. They're working on getting the cure to everyone whose been affected this year." Sara beamed as she spoke. All too happy with the convenience of the situation. 

But I knew better. 

"Really? Thats-" I tried to find the right words. To not let my discontent be too obvious. "That's great" I pressed my lips together into a thin smile. 

"Yeah it's still super contagious though-" Curly wrinkled his nose. "So we have to be on the lookout if anyone starts showing symptoms."

_Contagious-_

My stomach dropped, thinking about how close Steven had been to me. I could still imagine his hot breath on my face. Sure it being some type of mysterious disease was more then likely a lie but who knows how this hacker stuff works. Nobodies been able to figure out his methods- it very well could be contagious. 

"You're fine though!" Sara cut into my thoughts. The concern on my face must have been obvious as she quickly began to sooth me. "Anyone at risk has been tested so you're fine! They take anyone infected off campus to get treatment." 

"Oh alright- good good" Relief settled in my stomach. But something continued to nag at the back of my mind. A persistent bad feeling that I couldn't quite describe. 

_Something isn't right._

"Enough of that sad shit! Let's go get fucked up!" Curly suddenly exclaimed clapping his hands together. "You deserve it Mr.Hero" He winked and I felt a flush creep onto my cheeks. 

"Oh c'mon-" 

"Nuh-uh! I don't want to hear it! You like saved Andrews life ya know!" Curly grinned and swatted at my arm which I playfully pushed away. 

"Please. I would have been dead meat if it wasn't for Shane." I scoffed. 

"Well thank god he showed up in time. " Sara squeezed my arm, shooting me a smile. "Now c'mon let's get you out of here." 

_Thank god is right._

My eyes flicked over to the small box sitting on my nightstand. Still unopened. I looked back at my friends and smiled, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. 

"Alright then, let's get out of here."

~

The rest of that day had to have been the best i'd had in forever. We went back to Curly's room and ordered chinese. All of us lounging around and watching horror movies (which I picked) and all the while me getting caught up on all the gossip I missed (courtesy of Curly of course. ) All of the gifts were amazing, my favorite movies, a new jacket, a bobble head of my mom (not my favorite of the bunch but Jen thought it was hilarious.) all the while Shane's gift remained untouched. I couldn't help but spare glances at it throughout the night. The neatly wrapped box sitting tucked away by my bag. Even as we sat and watched Scream, I found it hard to focus with the dull ache still thudding through my skull and the unpleasant awareness of the gift staring at me from Curly's bed. 

"Ryan just open it" Sara's whispered startled me. She had crawled into the little space between where the two beds were placed. Settling beside me with a red solo cup in hand. 

"What-"

"Don't even try it Ryan-" She took a long sip of the drink. "It's from Shane isn't it?" She stared intently at me as I huffed and turned my head away. 

"Look I just-" I struggled to find the words. Why wouldn't I open it? It's not even that big of a deal it's just-

"Ryan-" 

"I don't know" I huffed, laying my head forward into my knees, drawing them closer to my chest. "It's just- he saved my life in there. I don't get why he would want to get me a gift- I basically already owe him my life." I sighed heavily, my voice muffled by my legs. 

"So what? You're...guilty?" Sara inquired softly. Her voice barely audible above Jen's loud complaining about the movie and Curly' scared yelps. 

"No- yes? Maybe..." I groaned and brought my head back up. "I don't know! It's just like- here I was hating the guy and he's off saving my life and stuff." I reached a hand out and grabbed the box, pulling it down and balancing on my knees. "I was just- wrong about him I guess. 

"Then you just gotta tell him that-I'm sure he'll understand Ryan." She elbowed me in the ribs and I squeaked, nearly knocking the box over. "But you owe it to him to open the damn gift. 

I let a low sigh escape my lips as I looked at the box, the gray wrapping illuminated by the flashing colors from the Tv screen. The lights flashed a bright red, blood scattering across the Tv screen as yet another gruesome murder occured, accompanied by Curly's scream. I watched as the box flickered in red in my palms. So small between my fingers. 

"You're right- this is dumb" I huffed and hooked my fingers under the lid. 

"I know" She smiled and gave my shoulder a squeeze before standing up, pausing as she hovered over me. "You know he visited you a bunch while you were out. He is really looking out for you." With that she left, leaving me alone with the gift and a head full of tumbling thoughts. I swallowed hard and slowly popped the lid off and looked down at the glistening silver object sitting within. 

A pin. Small and silver sat in the center of the box. It was a dreamcatcher. Round and shimmering in the dim light of the room. Something in my chest clenched as I picked it up between my fingers, studying it's intricate design. I noticed a note tucked away in the top of the box and pulled it out, trying to be quiet as I unfolded the paper. Messy red ink scrawled on the page. 

_Of course he has bad hand writing._

"Okay so- I know we haven't been on the best of terms since meeting but considering everything that's went down I think we can probably call a bit of a truce. So this like my peace offering...I guess. Hope you like it. You probably won't but hey I tried. 

Feel better- Shane." 

I felt a breath escape my chest as I finished. I put the pin in the box and snapped it shut again. 

Damn it he's such a nice guy. 

I felt myself internally cursing myself for being an asshole and before I knew it I was on my feet gathering my stuff. Shoving it into my bag and throwing my hoodie on. 

"Going already?" Curly inquired, sounding a bit disappointed. I didn't look at him, too afraid his big sad brown eyes would make me lose my resolve. 

"Yeah uh- just not feeling great I just kinda wanna get back to my place. Get some sleep." I lied through my teeth. I caught a quick glance at Sara who was smirking just barely. She waved goodbye and I did the same. Before rushing out the door and to the stairs. Shoving the box into my hoodie pocket as I went. Missing the feel of it in my palm as I ascended to my floor. 

~

"Hey you're back!" Shane offered a surpriaed smile as I opened the door, rushing inside to avoid the cold from the hallway. He spun around in his chair from where he sat at his desk, glasses on and hair tussled across his head. A holographic screen was in front of him, having probably caught him in the middle of doing his work. 

"Yep, good as new!" I stuffed my hands in my pockets, lingering at the door unsure exactly what to do. My fingers brushed the box in my pocket and I couldn't help but suck in a quick breath. 

"You're feeling better then?" He gave me a quick once over, which made me subconsciously rug on my sleeve, hiding the scratches I had acquired from all the broken glass. I noticed his own bandage on his face, not to mention the thin scar across his neck. Guilt prickled at my skin, even worse though was the awkward realization that I hadn't responded. Plunging us both into an awkward silence. 

"Oh right yeah- much better."I cleared my throat and he nodded, looking down at his feet. The silence extended again, both of us avoiding each others gaze. 

_Somebody kill me._

"So the uh- sickness huh? Pretty crazy right?" I blurted out quickly. Trying to fill the empty air. He just snorted and rolled his eyes. 

"Right- real creative of the headmaster." He huffed and ran a hand through his hair" I mean what is she even going for here? Some type of angry plague-" he muttered, voice dripping with sarcasm. 

"I mean you never know. Some people in France like a billion years ago danced to death or something-" I interjected, the smallest smile spreading onto my lips. 

"What-!?" He burst out a loud laugh. "That did not happen that's the dumbest shit i've ever heard-" He said quickly between laughs. 

"No really look it up!" I threw my hands out in exasperation. 

"No way you just made that up-"  He cut me off quickly, obviously just teasing me. It made me flush a bright pink. 

"Shut up- just- just look it up" I walked past him to my bed, swatting him on the back of his head as I went, tossing my stuff down. But there was no venom to it now, the faintest chuckles still dancing on my lips. 

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, overdramatically rubbing his head. "This is how you treat the man that saved your life!" 

"Hey I saved yours right back!" I retorted quickly, rolling my eyes as I turned to face him. 

"Touché" He smiled up at me, still sitting in his chair. "Thanks for that by the way." He dropped his teasing tone. Offering me an earnest smile. 

"No problem- thanks to you too." I turned my eyes away, a flush creeping up my neck. "I guess." 

"Right..." Another silence extended and Shane groaned, leaning back in his chair. "We really should stick with hating each other the whole being pals thing isn't for us." He kicked me lightly and I smiled, just barely. 

"Yeah no definitely." I breathed out a silent sigh of relief, plopping down on my bed across from where he sat. "Kindness is not right for us." 

"We're both way too big of assholes for that." Our eyes met and we both smiled. A silent agreement passing between us. We may both be assholes, but now we're each others assholes.

That doesn't sound right-

"So about what happened-" Shane interrupted my thoughts. I felt my chest constrict at the thought. "What do you uh...think?" He was wringing his hands together, which surprised me. He always seemed to weird and spooky to be nervous. But then I remembered what he said to headmaster-

_"I of all people should know what the hacker is capable of-!"_

I couldn't shake that phrase from my mind. But I put it aside for now. Opting instead to focus on the matter at hand. 

"Right- well I think we both know people aren't just sick." I said carefully. Eyes studying him as he let out another low chuckle, voice laced with a tint of anger. 

"You got that right." He chewed on his lip, folding his fingers together. "So typically of a council member to cover something like this up-" He spoke without thinking. His gaze turned to mine and he must have seen me stiffen up because his eyes then widened and he sat up. "No offense of course to-"

"It's fine" I said quickly, trying to get off the subject. "Nothing I haven't heard before." he looked as if he were going to apologise but I cut him off again "besides you're right, I don't agree with what she's doing either." 

"Yeah.." Shane nodded gravely. I could see relief sink into his features that I didn't want to side with headmaster. 

"Despite what people may think I do see the faults in the council. " I couldn't help but add, the slightest snark slipping into my tone. 

"Yeah I know I didn't mean-" 

"I know-" I nodded, gesturing dismissively. "It's just crazy to me sometimes the things they do- you know they like raised me so of course I wouldn't think-" I trailed off, shaking my head. "Makes you wonder what else they're hiding."

"So wait- they don't like...let you in on stuff?" Shane seemed surprised. 

"Oh hell no. It's top secret up there." I let out a faint chuckle. 

"Damn...then you don't know what's happening to the hacked?" Shane studied me closely. Obviously extremely curious for my response. 

"The hacked- no why? Do you think somethings happened to them-?" Concern pricked at my skin. Was Steven alright? 

"You really think they have a "cure"?" Shane raised his eyebrows, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Nobodies seen anyone whose been turned in. They find people who've been affected and then poof" He made a vanishing gesture with his hands. "They're gone."

"And nobodies asking about it-?" 

"People are asking of course, family members and stuff. But it's the same answer everytime. They have to be contained until they're better, all that bullshit about them being contagious and what not." 

"You don't think they're contagious?" I watched as he huffed and kicked his feet up on my bed. 

"Hell no. It's just a way to get other students to report the hacked. They're too lazy to get anyone else to hunt them down so they're turning everyone against each other." 

"Everyone's gonna be paranoid!" I couldn't disguise the surprise in my voice. 

"Everyone already is. Its kill or be killed out there. There's friends turning on friends all to keep themselves from getting "sick", he made air quotations with his hands. 

"That's- that's fucked up." I plopped on my back, staring up at the ceiling. "All this so people don't find out it's the hacker- I mean are we even sure it was him maybe-"

"It was him" Shane cut me off. Voice dark. I sat up just barely to see him staring past me at the wall, eyes unreadable. "It was him and knowing how he is- he's still here." 

"Well shit." I looked down at where my hands were tugging at some loose string on my bed. Trying to shake the eerie feeling that accompanied seeing his dark gaze. "What now then?" 

"Who the hell knows. It's all business as usual here. Everyones too focused on getting ready for the unity day parade to care-" 

"The parade? Shit I forgot all about that!" I covered my face with my hands, groaning into my palms. "We have to get our assessment done soon don't we?". 

"Yep" He responded, lips popping on the "p". 

"We're fucked"

"Double yep." 

I groaned and rolled over, staring at the window hanging between our beds. It was sunny outside, but frost still crept a long the glass. A reminded that outside winter still waged. 

"We have to do well on those assessments." I mumbled, looking over at Shane who was giving me a weird look. "And not get murdered by the Hacker that too-" he kicked my foot and I kicked him back. Resulting in a small scuffle. In the end which I ended up knocking him off his chair and laughing my ass off. 

"You're a dick you know that!" he shouted from the floor, making me snort. I sat up and looked again out the window as the campus below, where student lingered about, enjoying their weekend. 

"So much for a peaceful first year." I sighed, earning a laugh from Shane who was picking himself off the floor. 

"You got that right." I felt the bed sink down where he sat on the edge. I watched some kids laugh and chat down below us and something tugged at my chest, thinking about all the kids who came into this year expecting to have the time of their lives, only to have all this shit happen. To get hurt or go missing or worse. 

_Like Steven._

"We gotta find him. " I blurted out suddenly. Not thinking. I quickly got off my bed and went to my desk, starting to pull sheets of paper from my drawer. 

"Gotta find who?" He rose from my bed. "Ryan what the hell are you-"

"The hacker. If he's here then he can still hack students. Obviously headmaster isn't doing anything about it so..." I smacked my notes down on the table. Sheets of paper covered in notes from the past few weeks, documenting all the strange behavior I had noticed back when I was sleep deprived. Shane went to stand next to me, looking down at the desk. He reached down and picked up a piece of paper, eyes skimming the words.

"You're nuts." Was all he said. 

"You in or not? Cause either way I'm not just gonna sit here and watch these kids-" I started, angrily waving my arms. 

"Dude-" He grabbed my shoulder to steady me. "I never said I wasn't in." Our eyes met and he grinned. I couldn't help but grin back. 

"So we're doing this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You mean trying to take on the greatest villain our world has ever known along with the betraying the trust of a powerful ex council member and putting our lives in an immense amount of danger?". 

"I uh.." I gulped. "Yes?". 

"Then hell yeah." He lowered his hand from my arm and rushed to his bed, grabbing his bag and stuffing some things inside. 

"What are you-? I inquired, trailing after him. 

"You've been out for days. Get your shit we have a lot of training to catch up on." He spun on his heel and was already out the door by the time I grabbed my bag. 

"Slow down dumbass!" I shouted after him. 

"Not my fault your legs are like 3 inches long!" He shouted back from the hallway. I found myself rolling my eyes to nobody in particular. I stuffed my hands in my pocket, finding the gift still tucked away in there. I took it out and quickly slid it under my pillow. Giving it one last long glance before turning and heading out the door cursing at Shane who had already left me behind. 

Man what the hell am I getting myself into?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha seriously though sorry about the short last chapter but I figured it would be a fun little bonus to introduce an uh- interesting character. Anywho it'll be lots of ghoul boy content from here on out!
> 
>  
> 
> F̶̨͕̭͓̮̓̋͠ơ̴̢̧͚͎͍͇̞͗̂͊̌͋r̴̪̽̔̕ ̴͖̠͉̙͎͗̅̑̃͜ͅņ̴͎͎̓͂͋̃̈́̇͛̕ͅở̴̢̺̼̖̺͕̲̻̓̈͌͠w̸̧͈̩̏̈̓̉̑


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay haha i've got midterms coming up so I know I'm going to be busy soooo I decided to move some more important events up in order to give y'all a thrilling chapter since updates might be sparse. (I'll try my best.)  
> Please do excuse the change in some of the tags haha-

"So he'll be making a full recovery then?" The headmaster spoke in a cool tone to a doctor, her unseeing eyes settled on the sole window in her office, enjoying the feeling of the warm morning sun on her skin. She was leaned back in her chair, eyes lidded just barely with a faint exhaustion. The doctor stood across from her, draped in a white lab coat that contrasted the dark tones of the room. She cleared her throat and nodded before shaking her head in a silent realisation. 

"Yes. His head is healing nicely. He should even be fit to return to his training this week. I'm sure he hasn't been too fond of having to sit out." The doctor smiled warmly. Only to again realise it was a worthless gesture. She returned to her naturally grim expression, eyes darting around the room anxiously. 

"Good. Good. I'm glad to hear it." The corner of her lips upturned just barely as she spoke. "And the prescription is working nicely?"

There was an uncomfortable pause as the doctor bit at her bottom lip. The headmaster frowned, sitting up in her chair. 

"Well?"

"Yes it is working just fine for the pain. I just wonder if its other effects are really necessary-?" 

"I didn't ask for your opinion on the matter." The headmaster snapped, the room felt colder then, making the doctor shudder. "I asked if it was working. You do as your instructed nothing more do you understand?". As she spoke the doctor felt a terrible chill creep up her skin. 

"Yes of course...everything is working as you requested." The doctor responded, Her teeth chattering. 

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear." The headmaster turned her head back toward the window. Warmth starting to seep into the room again. 

"Should I send word to his mother on his progress?" The doctor inquired. Rubbing her hands together as the warmth returned. 

"No. I'll contact her myself. " The headmaster sighed softly. "Nobody else needs to hear word of this understood?" She turned her head, pale white eyes meeting the gaze of the Doctors own deep brown. 

"Yes of c-course." The doctor flicked her eyes to the floor. A silly thing to do in hindsight. But she felt it necessary nonetheless. 

"Very well. You may see yourself out."

And the doctor did. Closing the door and leaving the headmaster in the dark room all alone. 

Or at least that's what she thought. 

In the darkened corner of her room. Two red eyes peered from the shadows. Only to vanish in the blink of an eye. 

The headmaster couldn't help but shudder. As she could have sworn she felt like someone was watching her. 

~

I woke up after a dreamless night, my eyes heavy from the deep sleep I had just arose from. I stretched out my limbs on my bed, hand bumping against my bedside table causing me to curse out loud into the dark room. I heard a faint chuckle across from me and I rolled over to see Shane huddled in his bed surrounded by my notes. He looked oddly daunting and yet...cozy at the same time. He melted a bit too perfectly into the shadows of the room, the only light being the blue flickering of a holographic screen in front of him, illuminating his pale face and the white pages scattered around him. He was huddled up in his blanket, hair askew and glasses sitting slightly lopsided on his nose, making him appear especially dorky despite the way the darkness around him appeared to flicker and shift in the corner of my eye. He had that way about him, scary anr soft all at once. 

"Dude what time is it?" I groaned, flicking on my watch that sat on my table. It lit up brightly making me squint to read the bright red letters. 

"4am...ish?" He gestured dismissively and held up a piece of paper. "This is amazing- seriously you thought of everything." I couldn't tell if he was joking or being genuine through the fog of sleepiness clouding my mind, so I just shrugged and started to wipe my eyes. "You're like some kind of like- conspiracy theorist" He continued on. I could hear the rustle of paper and the light taps of his fingers on the computer screen. 

"Yeah sleep deprivation will do that to ya." I half joked, not having the energy to come up with anything better. I rolled on my back and stared at the ceiling, itching absently at the bruise on my forearm. 

"Well you've been sleeping better since you got back. Those pills they gave you must be killer." The tapping continued as he typed away, likely moving my notes into his USB. He liked keeping everything digital. 

"Yeah they are." I yawned, drowsiness still dragging at my body from my last dose. The painkillers were meant to help me sleep while I was in recovery- so the pain wouldn't keep me up. It was doing a damn good job of it, not to mention I hadn't had a nightmare in weeks. It's been oddly peaceful around here. It was almost unsettling. 

"Why don't you go back to bed, you're obviously still tired." There was a shuffle as he started gathering the papers. "Besides loads of training to do tomorrow. Don't need you lumbering about like a zombie." 

I let a low scoff escape my lips as I drug my arm over my face to cover my eyes. "Please don't remind me." I mumbled into my sleeve. The last thing I wanted to think about was training. I had been benched since arriving from the med bay due to my injuries. Now after the whole incident people have been looking at me and Shane like some types of messiahs, saving everyone from the rapid heroes. Everyone is going to be expecting me to be kicking ass once I get back in the game. Little do they now my powers haven't felt weaker then ever. 

"You'll do fine." He said lightly.

I Didn't respond, only letting out a small rattled sigh into my arm, breath shaking just barely at the thought of having to go back out there with all those people-

"Ryan." There was a sudden silence as Shane must have stopped typing, a slight creak in his bed as he likely turned toward me. "You're going to kick ass don't worry about it."

"Hah!" I couldn't help but allow the laugh to bark out from my chest. "Have you met me dude? Worrying is literally all I can do." I moved my arm and turned my head to him, where he sat on the edge of his bed, all attention on me, brows furrowed as he studied me with an unreadable expression. All the attention made me turn my face back toward the ceiling. Staring up at the dust dancing down from above, illuminated by the blue electronic light. 

"I saw you in the bathroom that night, I don't know how you did it but you did some crazy shit-" A low sigh escaped his lips. "You'll be fine. Really you will." He tried to be earnest but It wouldn't settle the tremble in my hands. I licked my lips as they suddenly seemed very dry. 

"Yeah- you're probably right I'm freaking out over nothing." I rolled over, now facing the wall. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, trying to urge myself to relax. But I could still feel tension rippling in my shoulders. Not to mention I could practically feel Shane's eyes burning into my back. 

"Right..." He spoke after a heavy pause, voice soft and unsure. There was another click and the room was plunged into darkness.

I had thought this would be the end of the conversation, so I let a low rattling breath escape my lips and pulled my blanket up to my chin, burrowing into it with a desperation for warmth. There was a peaceful silence in the room, I could almost feel myself drift back to sleep. 

"How did you do it?" Shane blurted out, causing me to groan and rub my eyes yet again. 

"Do what-?"

"What you did in the bathroom." He spoke quickly, like he was nervous about asking. "I know you said you didn't like using your powers so I know I shouldn't ask-" He was speaking a mile a minute. 

"Shane- Shane." I tried to stop him, or atleast make him slow down he was making my head hurt. 

"But you were like- super unconscious. When they brought you into the med bay they said you had went into shock so I was just wondering how you still..." He trailed off, the endless stream of thought seeming to run out of steam. 

"Kicked Stevens ass?" I finished, the faintest smile drifting onto my lips. 

"Yeah-" He let out a low laugh, which sounded heavy with sleep. He was obviously getting tired. "-that." 

"It uh..." I rolled onto my back again. Searching the ceiling for some type of answer. "Its hard to explain." 

"Right..." Shane gave the short response. 

There was a lull of silence. I thought perhaps we were done. I almost rolled back over-

"Hey Ryan-"

_God damn it._

"yes?" I responded, trying to muffle my annoyance. There was another pregnant pause. Like he was considering something. 

"I just-" I could hear him take in a sharp inhale of breath. "I- nevermind." He said quickly. I sat up.

"No what was it?" I inquired curiously as I squinted, trying to spot him in the dark. 

"Nothing- it was nothing go to bed." He insisted. Very poorly I might add. He was a bad liar. 

"Shaaaane-" 

"If a pregnant woman is swimming doesn't that make her like- like a human submarine?" He blurted out. Followed by another lull of silence. 

"What are- what are you even...what!?" I stuttered out, earning a chorus of chuckles from him. 

"I mean think about it-!"

"I am not..." I took a moment to think about it. "Okay yes you're right but-"

More laughter from his side of the room.

"Look I'm the one on drugs not you- you need to go to bed." I scoffed, plopping back down in my bed, fighting the smile that tugged at my lips. 

"Whatever mom." He teased back. Earning a pillow in the face from my side of the room. 

"Go to sleep Shane." I rolled over, anxieties about tomorrow forgotten. I buried my face in my pillow. Imagines of submarine sized women haunting my mind. 

"G'night" Shane grumbled through a face full of pillow. Tossing it down on the floor beside him. He awaited Ryan's response but got nothing but a soft snore. He sighed lightly and pulled his own blanket up, scoffing as his feet poked out from the other end. He stared up into the ceiling. The real question he had wanted to ask still burning in the back of his mind. 

_Maybe another time._

He decided. Letting a slow breath escape his lips. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, before he heard Ryan cough in his sleep and his eyes snapped open.

Glowing a bright red. 

He looked over, to find Ryan still sleeping soundly beside him. He took a deep breath in and his eyes returned to their normal brown and he sunk into his bed again. Falling into a light slumber. 

~

"Bergara! Decided to show your face again eh?" The dragons booming voice jarred me from any exhaustion that may have still clung to my features. My head snapped up to see him standing in the arena, where he had been talking to the class. Shane was among them, attention now turned toward me, nervous smile stretched across his face. 

"Yeah uh- doc says I'm good to go." I handed the dragon a pass from the medical bay where I had just been officially cleared to go back to class. He took it between his fingers where it turned to ash and fluttered to the floor. He clapped his hand on my back as I passed him, making me jump. 

"Glad to hear it. Things were starting to get a little boring around here." He eyes up the class, gaze narrowed accusingly at the rest of the class. He started going over what we were covering in class today, my attention quickly wandered, gaze flicking around to find a particular classmate. Only to find him absent.

"Brent's gone. They took him out as soon as word of the sickness came out." Shane spoke to me in a low voice. I let out a low huff and shook my head. 

"Damn. And all this time I just thought he was a douche-" I responded back, earning a snort from Shane. 

"Bergara! First day back and you're already not paying attention!" I flushed a bright red and turned my attention back to The Dragon who was scowling at me with lips drawn back in a snarl exposing his sharp fangs. I started to mumble an apology and he barked out a laugh, smoke puffing out from between his lips. "Cmon up why dontcha? You too Madej. Since you both wanna be chatty Cathys you can go first!" 

Shane nudged my back and I stepped forward, my partner trailing behind me. As we stepped forward Dragon summoned a holographic screen and typed in some digits. I gave Shane a concerned look and he shrugged. 

"Now since I can assume neither of you were listening. We were just discussing the upcoming assessment." The Dragon continued on. Me and Shane shared a nervous glance. "Most of you know that in this assessment you'll be required to show off your skills to the schools administrators to earn your spot in the Unity day parade. But you'll be showing that you and your partner are fit to be working together." The dragon narrowed his eyes at me and Shane and tapped the screen again and it vanished. "So teamwork is our next unit." 

Blue light in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I watched as a shimmering holographic obstacle course appeared before my eyes. 

"Show me what you got boys." The Dragon grinned, one golden fang flashing under the blue lights. As I opened my mouth to ask what we were expected to do, my wristband lit up a similar shade of blue before flashing so brightly I had to shut my eyes. 

"Jesus!" I grimaced and went to shield my gaze but even when I opened them I couldn't see anything but darkness. I immediately reached out for something to hold onto and Shane grabbed my shoulder, steadying me. The class began to chuckle and I felt my face heat up. 

"Hey what the hell!?" I heard Shane exclaim, likely spotting the unfortunate status of my eyes. Dragon let out a hearty laugh. 

"It'll wear off no worries. But Ryan you'll be going through the obstacle course. Shane you'll be guiding him." I could practically hear the smugness in his voice. Shane's grip tightened on my arm and I sucked in a quick breath.

"That doesn't sound too bad-" I spoke quickly, trying to sound hopeful. Shane's lack of response made me a little less optimistic. 

"It uh...could be worse." Shane finally offered, hand leaving my arm. 

"Yeah- yeah totally."

_Im going to die._

Next thing I knew I was being guided to a platform, I listened hopelessly as Shane's footsteps trailed away. I stood unbearably still, painfully aware of how vulnerable I was. Someone clicked a headpiece onto my head and I felt a microphone against my lip.

"Alright so you've got a monkey bar situation ahead of you-" Shane's voice sounded in my ear, making me flinch. "Just reach out and try and find the first bar." I could tell he was nervous. I took a step forward and flinched as half my foot leaned off the edge off the platform. I reached up tentatively and grabbed the first bar, about to pull myself up. 

"Oh right I forgot to mention." Dragons voice interrupted my concentration. 

There was a metallic click and a gasp from the class. I heard Shane gulp over the speaker. 

Probably not a good sign. 

"You're gonna wanna move faster then that." 

"Shane what is he-" I started, concern lacing my tone. 

"Ryan go-" Shane snapped. 

"Why what is there-"

"Ryan!" I heard creaking metal behind me and a loud thundering roar. I yelped and grabbed onto the bar heaving myself up. I hastily reached for the next one, missing it just barely with my finger tips. 

"Okay uh- scary robot dragon thing behind you. Just swing over on the top-"

"Swing over!?"

"Like your climbing a ladder but upsidedown!" 

I pulled myself up, grunting as I did so and pulled myself on top of the monkey bars, grasping at the metal with shaking hands. 

"Its not very long just pull yourself forward until you reach the-" 

There was the sound of crunching metal behind me and I felt hot breath on my ankles. 

"Fuck it go!" 

I took in a quick gasp of air before pulling myself forward, trying to reach ahead of me to find where the bars ended. Suddenly my leg slipped and i was tumbling off the bars. I desperately grabbed above me and found myself hanging upsidedown, arms wrapped around the bars, clinging for my dear life.

"Ryan-!"

A metallic claw wrapped around my hand and I felt a jolt of electricity shoot through me. I gritted my teeth and groaned through the shock. 

"Let your legs go, you can make it to the next platform if you swing hard enough!" 

"Y-you're nuts!" I stuttered out through my teeth. 

"Trust me!" 

I didn't see much of an alternative. So after a few moments of utter panic I let my legs go and felt my lower body swing back. 

"Let go now!"

I released my grip and the momentum threw me back. I was free falling for a few horrific moments before landing on the platform with a heavy thud. I gasped, the air getting knocked out of me, but the sound was blocked out by cheers from the class.

"Alright there's stairs at 3 o'clock. Watch your step." Shane sounded relieved in my ear. 

I quickly picked myself up and stumbled for the stairs, nearly tripping on the first one. I grabbed onto a railing and started running up

"Duck!" 

I did as instructed and ducked down, I felt a gust of wind brush past my head. 

"What was that!?" 

"You know those swingy saw things you always see in like Indiana Jones movies-"

"You've got to be kidding me!" I groaned under my breath. All the running was making my head hurt. 

"Okay it's clear, go!" 

I collected myself and started running again, ducking when instructed. At the top of the stairs I missed a step and fell forward again, the impact making my head scream. 

"You good?" Shane said quickly, my pain must have been apparent as I dragged myself back to my feet, rubbing at my sore temple.

"Yeah just- what now?" 

"Rickety bridge." He said simply.

"Of course it is." 

I was slower now, holding the rope on either side as the bridge dipped and swayed beneath my weight. 

"Ryan-"

"Shane if you tell me that thing is behind me again-"

"...."

I let out a stream of cursewords before I felt the bridge dip dangerously beneath my feet. I heard another roar and I started running, abandoning the ropes on either side. I could feel the beast get closer and an idea slithered itself into my mind. 

"Im cutting the bridge-"

"What!? Ryan no!" 

"Trust me!"

There was a heavy pause, all I cold hear was my racing heart thundering in my ears.

"Alright- go for it."

I took a deep breath in and stopped dead in my tracks. I waited for the beast robot thing to get closer and closer. I could hear my classmates gasping. 

"Now!" Shane called and I quickly jumped back. I felt claws graze my shirt and the sound of rope tearing. The bridge started sinking beneath me and I turned tail and ran like I never had in my life. I could feel the wood give away beneath my feet and before I knew it I was standing on nothing but air. I reached out in desperation-

Aha!

My fingers felt the edge of the next platform  I quickly grabbed on. Listening as the bridge and the monster fell away behind me. Classmates cheered as I pulled myself up, arms quivering from the effort. 

"Alright you're almost there!" Shane cheered in my ear. 

"You're starting to enjoy this a little too much"I scolded into my headpiece. Earning a mumbled apology. Rolled my eyes and cracked my neck. Trying to ignore the ache in my skull. 

"So there's these moving platforms. We're going to have to time it perfectly alright-" 

I swallowed hard, wiping the sweat from my forehead. There were a couple hoots from some girls in the class and I blushed yet again. Shane laughed in my ear and I made a mental note to punch him later. 

"Right- let's do this shit"

"Ready set- go!" 

I took a running start and leapt forward. Skidding onto a moving platform. It moved backwards and forwards in smooth motions. I carefully stood back up, trying to get my balance. On Shane's okay I leapt again. This continued on, us both finding a strong rhythm until I was running along the platforms with ease, class cheering below me. 

"Alright one more!" Shane cheered in my ear. As I took the final leap I grinned, enjoying this time the rush of adrenaline. It felt good to have my blood pumping and for a moment I wasn't even a bit afraid or anxious. I felt  _good._

"Shit Ryan!" Shane screamed into my earpiece. Before I could even register what was wrong I felt metallic jaws close on my leg, sending sharp jolts of electricity up my shin. I reached out and grabbed onto the platform, which bucked and swayed beneath my grip. I struggled to pull myself up but the robot kept pulling me down with it's weight.

"What the hell-" Shane's voice suddenly changed to genuine concern. I heard shocked murmurs from the class begin to rise. 

_Snap._

Sharp fangs bit down harder, I screamed out, fingernails skidding against metal as I felt the teeth pierce my skin. Screams from classmates rung out and my headpiece cut off into static. I heard more robotic roars sound off and I was left hanging (literally) with no clue what was going on. I frantically kicked at the robot, trying to get it off my leg. I finally must have landed a good kick as I heard a loud metallic crunch and it released its grip from my calve. I pulled myself up and rolled on my back, panting from exertion. I grabbed onto my headpiece, hearing nothing but chaos below me. 

"Shane what the hell is going on-" I spoke between gasps. 

 _"Oh I think you know."_ an unfamiliar disembodied voice spoke back. Sounding glitchy and dark in my ears. A chill danced down my spine. 

"Who-who is this?" I spoke oddly enough without fear. My usual shake of anxiety didn't plague me. I spoke boldly, sitting up straight on the platform. 

The voice only laughed, sounding cold and emotionless in my ears.

" _oh Ryan- you know me better then you think."_ Beneath all the distortions he was right, the voice did sound familiar. 

"Is this- are you the Hacker?" I said quickly. I heard a scream nearby and flinched, biting the inside of my cheek. "What are you doing here- what do you want?" I spoke quickly. As I blinked, some of  vision came back. I could see shadows shift in a cloud of gray. 

"W̵̨̛̙͙̲͎̞̺̜̹͔͍̓̐͜ͅa̶̧̡͓̞̬̤͍̼̺̻̮̜̬̗͔̿̈́̎̊͌̔͛̎͆̒͐͗̒͛͠ţ̷̛͕̤̳̻̹̦̞͙̆͜͜ç̵͉̻̤̻͓͔͎̾̔͊̓̊͛̚͜h̶̢̨̛͍͚̬̥͈͒̇́̐̽̈́̂̈́͠ ̶̡̧̳͍̪̳̩̬̟̱̪̑̽̽͊͝͠ǒ̸̠̲͋̐̉̈́̐̿̃̍̈́ů̷̢̞̰̺̰̙̻̠̲̭̱̘͕̖͑̐̽̿̄̂͋̆̚͠ͅt̴̨̳̙̼̝͉̫̭͙̯̣̗͚͐̽͂́͠"

To my left I saw a blur of black fly toward me. I quickly got to my feet and sidestepped as it flew past me. I turned to where Shane had said the platform was and without a second thought- I jumped. I made it, tetering just barely on the edge. I started to tip backwards, shutting my eyes as I prepared to plummet into nothingness-

A hand grabbed mine and yanked me back up, sending me stumbling into someones chest. I yelped and reached out for something to grab onto. 

"Hold on, I gotcha-" Shane's voice sounded in my ear, soft and commanding all at once. I wrapped my arms around his torso, grabbing his flannel in my fists and feeling his arms wrap around me. Then I felt it, the firm pressure of shadows all around me. I felt as light as a feather for a brief moment. Then I felt the dirt of the arena floor under my feet. 

"Did we -?"

"Teleport- yes" He grabbed my arm tight and stepped in front of me. I could see colored blobs start to take form. There were some menacing silver blobs all around us. 

"Whats-?"

"His training bots went haywire- stay behind me and keep your eyes shut." He said quickly, releasing my arm to turn and face the probably horrifying robots.

"Close my- Shane what the hell are you on about!?" I clung to his sleeve. Desperate to have something to guide me. 

"If your vision comes back I need you to keep your eyes closed-!"

"But-" I started to protest. 

"Ryan!" He snapped, voice angry in a way I hadn't heard before from him. I could see the bots approaching and I gave a small nod before snapping my eyes shut. Probably a dumb thing to do. But hey todays lesson was about trust right?

God I'm dead. 

So with that I clamped my eyes closed and stood there like an idiot. There was a gust of wind next to my face and a low menacing growl. I flinched away from the sound, ducking down low to the ground, pulling my arms over my head. I heard the clanging sounds of metal shredding and electricity popping. The roar of sounds making my ears ring. Just as I thought it was too much and I had to move- everything went quiet around me. 

And being the dumbass I was, I opened my eyes. 

Everything was still blurry. I saw scrap metal laying around me in heaps. Broken robot monsters sparking and twitching besides me. I slowly lifted my head up to see a massive figure looming above me. I could only see the dark outline of this creature, barely making out where its hands were replaced by massive claws and horns stretching out from its head. As it slowly turned its head all I could see was glowing red eyes staring back at me. 

I closed my eyes again. Tucking my chin toward my chest and praying to every God I could think of in that moment. 

_Please don't let me die, please don't let me die._

All of it was too much. The sounds and the vision. My head was screaming in protest. I could tell the pain medicine was wearing off, and the tremors of anxiety had set in again. I couldn't breath, couldn't think. I reached up  and grabbed my head in my hands, gritting my teeth. All I could hear was a loud ringing in my ears-

"Ryan!" My eyes snapped open to see Shane in front of me, grabbing my face. And turning my eyes toward him. I blinked hard and gasped, trying to catch my breath. My eyes flicked around, trying to find the massive shadowy beast but it was nowhere- it was just...

_Shane._

"Hey! You're alright Ryan look at me!" I met his eyes, all big and brown and friendly. But all I could see in the back of my mind was glowing red. I clamped my eyes shut again, not able to breath. I reached out frantically and grabbed his shirt, balling it up under my fist. He pulled me close, and I tucked my head against his shoulder, trying to block the light out to making everything just hurt  _less._

"Madej! Bergara!" The Dragon called out from somewhere distant. 

"Over here!" Shane called back. 

I just wished everyone would be  _quiet._

Voices all started thundering around me. People hurt and crying and fearful. It all blurred together into white noise. I felt Shane's hand cup around the back of my head, big against my hairline. The pain in my head burst in front of my eyes like a firework and then everything went silent. 

~

"You really do draw trouble don't you?" A familiar voice drifted into my ears. I blinked a few times and a doctor came into focus in front of me, shining a light into my eyes. I winced and flinched away, rubbing my eyes. I could hear her step away and murmur something to someone else. I opened my eyes again to see the headmaster standing with The Dragon. Both of them talking in the corner of my med bay room. I couldn't recall being brought in but I couldn't care less. I wanted to know what the hell was going on-

"How are you feeling Ryan?" The headmaster spoke first, looking in my direction. I scoffed and looked down at my bandaged leg. 

"Shitty." Was all I said, earning a laugh from The Dragon. 

"Just like his mother that one-" He chuckled, earning a scolding glare from the headmaster. Which somehow still managed to be horrifying despite her not actually being able to see you. 

"So- what the hell happened?" I reached up  rubbed the bridge of my nose, where my head still throbbed just barely. 

"Malfunction of the training bots. Real bizarre if you ask me. I've been working with them for 10 years  and I never had a problem-" The Dragon continued on with his rant. I felt agitation creep up my spine, remembering the cryptic messages I had heard during the attack. 

_You know me better then you think._

I shuddered at the memory, then noticed the doctor hurrying out of the room, called out by another. 

"Were others hurt?" I said suddenly, voice dripping with concern.

"Yes I'm afraid so. It was quite the...ordeal." Headmaster spoke carefully, strumming her fingers on her cane. 

_Jesus._

"What made the machines malfunction?" I inquired, already knowing the answer I was going to get. 

"We're looking into it." 

_Hah of course._

My skin prickled at the thought of all the kids that must have gotten hurt. All of them screaming so scared-

_Shane-_

I found myself ripping at the IV on my arm, yanking it out before quickly climbing off of the bed. I stumbled and quickly The Dragon was there, steadying me. 

"Bergara!" He hissed but I was quickly pushing past him to get to the door. I felt headmasters hand on my arm, making me freeze. 

"Ryan we don't know what caused this-" She warned quietly. Voice all too cautious as she picked her words. "You especially must be careful you're-" 

"Just as at risk as a council member I know!" I snapped pushing her hand off. She seemed taken aback, lips pulling into a taut line. "If I was really in danger you would let me know what's going on here!" I hissed out, flashing an angry glare at Dragon, ignoring the way the world dipped and spun beneath my feet. Like I was back on one of the moving platforms. Suddenly the headmasters posture sunk down, her shoulders slumping. She seemed to age years in that very moment, looking more like a frail old woman then a previous council member. Her grip on her cane tightened and she swallowed hard, turning away from me. 

"I haven't the slightest clue Ryan." She admitted, and that statement alone made my stomach drop. I turned again to The Dragon but he too was avoiding my gaze. I scoffed  shook my head grabbing the door knob. 

"Well that's just great!" 

I rushed out into the medical bay. Slamming the door behind me. 

~ 

The med bay was swarming with doctors nurses and hurt students. Not only the kids hurt from the incident but students reporting the "sick" and worried friends rushing about. I pushed through the crowd, trying to find a familiar face. I was appalled to see people sitting on the floor waiting for treatment, I thought about my empty room and grabbed a nurse as she brushed by me. 

"Hey theres a completely empty room right over there-" 

"Oh well that rooms reserved" The nurse said quickly, scrunching her nose at me. She must have not known who I was. 

"Yeah well It was mine and I'm not using it so get these people off the floor." I spoke back coolly, glaring her down. She blushed a bright red.

"O-oh right. Of course Mr.Bergara!" She blushed and scurried away, vanishing into the crowd. I watched her go with a grim expression.

"Damn that's cold  _Mr.Bergara"_ I heard an all too familiar teasing voice behind me and I spun around to see Shane sat against the wall on the floor, grinning up at me with an abnormally pale face.

"Shit Shane-" I cursed as I crouched down. He looked like actual death huddled there against the wall, face deathly pale and eyes dark. He obviously had over exerted himself. 

"You know bet you never had someone talk to you like that before- hows it feel being a second class citizen like the rest of us?" He pressed on, still joking. But there was something else there. An underlying bitterness. I thought back to the dark figure I saw, with the glowing red eyes.

_Today I was supposed to be learning about trust. Seems like I can't trust anyone- not even him-_

 I looked back at Shane who looked painfully small all curled up on the floor. He kept prattling on about god knows what, obviously really out of it. I couldn't help but think back to his smiling face and toussled hair, all curled up in the bed across from mine. I pushed down the memories of that shadowy figure and pressed on.  

"Alright C'mon let's get you some help-" I fished an arm under his own, trying to help him up but his legs weren't cooperating and neither were mine so we awkwardly stumbled and I bumped my head on the wall. 

"Oh ryan-!" 

"Shit!" I rubbed my head, grimacing in pain. 

Me and Shane both slid back to the ground, huddled against each other as people rushed past us. It was a little too close for comfort but we were both too tired too care. 

"You know- maybe we should change our whole stopping the hacker plan I don't know if we're cut out for this" Shane mumbled, barely audible above the noise in the room. 

"Yeah maybe you're right. Let's just like- be dog groomers or something instead" I snorted, leaning my head against the wall, shutting my eyes in pain. I shifted against Shane, our legs awkwardly tangled from the fall. Yet oddly enough I  was comfortable. 

"Cats are way cooler then dogs though-" 

"See we were having a moment and you ruined it-" I groaned and elbowed him in the side, earning a yelp and a swat on the arm. Just then somebody tripped on our legs and we both groaned, tucking our knees close to our chests.

_Now this can't possibly get any worse._

I found myself nodding off. That was until Shane was nudging me back awake.

"Ryan-" He said quietly, a serious tone to his voice.

"5 more minutes-" I groaned jokingly covering my eyes.

"Ryan." He said again. Only this time I could hear the urgency in his tone.

I opened my eyes and followed his gaze. The TV in the med bay was flicked on. Red letters flashing "breaking news" ran across the screen. Not many people had noticed it yet. But onscreen was a burning building. It took me a moment to register what it was.

All at once my heart sunk and I was rushing to my feet. Shane was struggling to join me. My mind was reeling as all I could think was,

_No, no, no-_

A reporter appeared on screen, looking fearful with microphone in hand.

"The council's meeting place: The Heroes Headquarters has been lit ablaze in a recent attack from none other then the legion Evil, sources say-"

The room started to quiet down as everyone began to turn toward the TV. The Dragon and Headmaster along with several other teachers rushed into the room. 

"There is no record of deaths or injuries yet. Several villains had been apprehended on sight-"

"No that can't be! Where was the council?" A teacher exclaimed but the headmaster let out a low gasp. I looked at her as realisation creeped into her features. Before I knew it I was moving toward her, ignoring Shane who was calling after me. 

"-Whether or not the Hacker was involved has yet to be confirmed-"

"Where is the council?" I snapped as I approached the headmaster. Everyones eyes were on me. "Where!?" I shouted, voice shaking. She turned to me, eyes wide.

"I don't-" 

"Helena- tell me. " I pleaded, desperation evident in my voice  as I looked her in the eyes. (As if that mattered.)

"-This just in...a body has just been recovered from the flames- one of the council members-"

"They're-" She reached up, a hand running through her white dreadlocks. "Most of them are coming here after they heard of the attack- oh god-" She squeezed her hands around her cane and The Dragon grabbed onto her shoulder. 

"They led them here- away from the headquarters-" I heard Shane behind me, breathless with fear.

"-It was a diversion" I finished. The words falling from my lips like poison.

But nothing like the ones that would follow.

"The body has been identified-"

Part of me knew, before she even said anything. Shane must have too, because his hand was on my shoulder, pulling me back toward him. I felt like I was falling and flying all at once. 

"NightOwl, member of the council of heroes is Dead."

There was a silence so heavy in that hospital room. Nobody would have guessed it was  full of chaos just moments ago. 

My head felt the same way. For a moment it was roaring with thought, thundering in panic. 

Then nothing. 

I stared up at the words on the screen, blinking up at the blinding red text. Reading the words over and over, hoping maybe they would change.

But they didn't.

There was a muffled sob somwhere nearby. Then suddenly my legs didn't seem to want to function. My knees buckled and I was falling. But then Shane was there holding me up, arm wrapping around my chest from behind. I clung to his arm, needing something to ground me in reality so I didn't float away.

I was screaming.

Deep and blood curdling. I sunk to the floor, Shane helping me down. I couldn't hear a thing but I knew I was. I could feel it from my stomach to my chest to my throat. 

Then I couldn't anymore, my heart stuck in my throat, voice caught in the first of many sobs. 

There were more hands on me now, rushed worried voices in my ears. But all I could see or think of were those red letters on the screen flashing red. 

I laughed. Choking on spit and tear. Because the thought dawned on me. 

Whoever did this must have known she wouldn't have gone with the rest of the council.

Because why on earth would she come check on me?

I laughed and I laughed  I laughed.

And somewhere else. Deep in an abandoned factory surrounded by wires and glowing blue lights.

Someone else was laughing too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops  
> Sorry about that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> info dump! Info dump! Info dump!
> 
> Midterms are kicking my ass so my writing sucks!!! Sorry but it be like that sometimes!!! Im exhausted!!!!

I don’t remember much from that day. Or the days following. It all sort of blurred together into this big amalgamation of tears and TV screens and emergency meetings. I was immediately put under watch, as I was now a potential target for the Legion of Evil and was probably is loads of danger. However, after a lengthy argument with the headmaster it was decided that I didn’t really need a bodyguard. (Me and her argued a lot after...the incident.)

Or rather the 2nd incident? 3rd? Damn I can’t catch a break this year can I?

The headmaster was busy with the other council members, both current and previous trying to soothe the panicking population of the City of Heroes. People were officially freaking the hell out. I don’t blame them, shit only got worse after the Headquarters went down. Villain crimes and attacks skyrocketed, whether that was directly from the Legion or just a bunch of Villains wanting to get in on the action was beyond me. It became an “all hands on deck” type situation. They were even calling kids from the Academy to start going on watch in the city.

Basically everything was going to shit. 

Every TV had the news on, blasting new cases of crime and violence. It made me want to rip my ears out whenever I had to hear another newscaster ramble on about the most recent robbery. And then there were all the people talking about  _ her.  _ It’s crazy how a public figure can go from one of the most hated people in the country to one of the most beloved just because they’re dead. All of the sudden all of the news outlets that criticized her every move were “mourning this terrible loss.” Candlelit vigils were held, memorials popped up all over the city. I got invited to give speeches and make appearances, but I didn’t. Not yet. Maybe not ever. 

Even now in the middle of the Academy campus people were huddled around her statue, now adjourned with flowers and photos and candles, weeping and saying prayers. I had never seen any of these people in my life, I doubt she ever had either, yet somehow they were crying more than I had. I mean sure I had my breakdown in the med bay but-

I don’t know. I know I should be feeling something more. I should probably be heartbroken and depressed and shit. Sara keeps telling me,

“It’s alright to cry Ryan, you know that right?”

But the thing is I don’t need to. I don’t feel like crying I don’t  _ feel  _ anything. This ever present numbness has crept into my core and oddly enough I didn’t mind it. I wasn’t anxious, I wasn’t mad or upset I just- was. 

So I walked past the statue, ignoring the sympathetic stares that followed me as I passed. Ignoring the way mom’s statue had so many fresh beautiful flowers, while the one’s on my dads had lost since wilted, withering black and gray against the old marble. Something in me knew I should be pained thinking that eventually all her flowers and things would look that way too. But it didn’t. So I just kept walking. 

Just keep walking.

~

I found myself lurking outside of a closed door, fingers lingering just barely over the handle. I sucked a deep breath in, considering my choices. 

_ C’mon this is ridiculous.  _

I bit my lip, letting my hand fall back down to my side. I took a step back, to head back down the hall, but something stopped me. I turned back to the door, shifting my weight from foot to foot. Uncertainty prickling at my skin. 

_ Just open the door damn it- _

Again I reached for the handle, but withdrew it, shoving them into my hoodie pockets. I swiveled on my heel, about to run off when I heard the door swing open behind me.

“Mr.Bergara?” 

_ Shit. _

I let out a low exhale and turned back around, sliding a nervous smile on my face. I looked up at the thin mousy man before me. 

“Hello Mr.Norberry- can I come in?”

“Well I suppose-” He stepped back, holding the door open for me, I stepped into his empty classroom. All of his students away for lunch. “How can I help you?”

“You remember that thing we talked about?” I blurted out quickly, spinning around to face him as the door shut. 

_ Wow real subtle.  _

“You’re going to have to be more specific-”

“You said you thought something was going on, something suspicious. You were right...obviously.” My eyes flicked to the newspaper sitting on his desk, detailing the usual grave stories. His eyes followed mine and his gaze darkened, just barely. 

“I suppose I was but what-”

“How did you know?” I took my hands from my pockets. “How did you know that something bad was going to happen? And what do you know about Shane Madej?” I gulped a bit at his taken aback expression. Not sure if perhaps I was being too pushy. 

“Well it’s not that I  _ knew.”  _ He was picking his words carefully, looking at me with a practiced caution. He strolled toward his desk, picking up the newspaper and rolling it between his hands. “I just-suspected”

“But what led you to-” I struggled to find the words. “Suspect?”

“Well it’s um…” He crushed the newspaper into a ball between his hands. His eyes darted past me, looking at something beyond my shoulder. His eyes flicked back down. “I was being foolish before. It’s best you forget what I said.” He stared down at his desk eyes refusing to meet mine. 

“But how-?” 

“I have papers to grade Ryan, perhaps we can talk another time?” I didn’t have time to protest before he was leading me back towards the door, tearing the paper between his fingers. His eyes were fixed on the ground. For a moment I thought maybe I had wasted my time coming here- that he was actually just a lunatic like people say-

“Mr Norberry-” 

“Ryan please, lots of work to do.” He said quickly, opening the door for me. Our eyes met for a brief moment, then they darted again over my shoulder. I followed his gaze and noticed a small camera sitting on one of his crowded bookshelves. My head turned back toward him and he gave a small forced smile and shook my hand. “Good seeing you.”

“Right uh-” I pulled my hand back, only now I could feel a torn piece of paper in my hand. I closed my fist and shoved my hands in my pockets again. “Good seeing you too.” I stepped out into the hallway and listened as the door clicked shut behind me. I let out a loud breath of air and removed the paper from my pocket, opening the torn piece of newspaper. It was a small snippet of an article. A seemingly average one about a villain attack on a local normal (non- special) police station. The villain hadn’t been identified but had done severe damage to the property and had sent one of the officers to the hospital. It seemed average enough and yet-

Something about it seemed oddly familiar. 

I pushed the article into the pocket of my jeans and rushed down the hall, thinking back to the camera glaring at Mr.Norberry over my shoulder. It made me shudder as I brushed my fingers again against the wrinkled paper sitting in my pocket. 

_ Maybe he’s not as much as a nutcase as everyone thinks.  _

Or maybe he is and I’m just as insane. 

~

“There you are!” Shane smiled up at me from behind his laptop, large head peaking out over the top of the screen. He was surrounded by fast food wrappers, huddled in his bed like the hermit he is. I tried to smile back at him as I clicked the door shut behind me, but it probably looked forced as concern flickered in his features. “Your uh- friends were looking for you during lunch, said they hadn’t seen you all day.” 

“Yeah had some debriefing shit with the Headmaster.” I tossed my backpack on my bed and opened my bedside drawer, taking out my pain medication. I went to the fridge to grab a drink, shuffling around in it’s contents. 

“Anything new?”

“Nothing really, same shit. It’s pretty much chaos out there.” I grabbed a can of coke and took it out, sliding the fridge door shut. “I did get to talk to Mr.Norberry though-” I turned back to face him and he had sat up, attentive and curious. I pulled the paper from my pocket and handed it to him. He took it and started skimming it’s contents. As he did that I removed my dosage of pills for the day, scattering them in my palm. 

“What uh- what’s this?” I couldn’t tell from his tone of voice. But as I turned his face was pulled into an odd yet- unreadable expression. 

“Dunno, he gave me that as I was leaving. He was being extra weird today, like he couldn’t say anything out loud-”

Shane barked out a laugh that was too loud and forced for comfort. I glanced at him, brows furrowed and folded the paper between his fingers. “Hah-yeah. Probably nothing then.” He handed the paper back to me, which I took carefully as I studied his features. He was just barely gnawing on his lip, avoiding my eyes as he slid off his bed, quickly gathering all the wrappers off his bed. I looked down at the paper again, before sliding it between the pages of the notebook that sat on my bedside table. 

“Yeah you’re right-” I looked down at the paper again, then at the trash can sitting beside my bed. “Probably nothing.” As his back was faced to be me, I slid it between the pages of the notebook that sat on my bedside table. Safely out of sight. “Now c’mon I haven’t had lunch yet-”

“Don’t you want to catch up with your friends? They said they hadn’t seen you in awhile-” Shane was struggling to fit everything in the trash, all the wrappers falling out as he forced them inside the basket. I couldn’t help but chuckle, just a bit. 

“Nah I'll catch up with them tomorrow. Besides we have a mystery to solve remember?” I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. 

“You still think that’s a good idea- I mean the whole council is working to figure this out already-” He gave me a strange look, eyes flicking over my features with carefully disguised concern.

“And the council has yet to figure it out- so I think it’s time somebody else took it over eh?” I walked past him, bumping into him just barely as I headed for the door. 

“Right but Ryan-” I turned around to face him, meeting his eyes. He stopped mid sentence, expression shifting again to one I couldn’t discern. I stared at him, unsmiling. 

“I get it- I’m probably already in enough-” I chewed on my lip, nose twitching just barely. “But more people are gonna get hurt if somebody doesn’t do something- so if its not them it might as well be me right?” I let out a low hollow chuckle, looking back up at him. He let out a sigh, cheeks puffing up as he did so. 

“It’s your funeral little guy.” He smiled, just barely. 

“Hey it’s  _ our  _ funeral. You agreed to help didn’t you?” I smiled back. Or atleast mimicked one the best I could. He rolled his eyes and nudged me with his shoulder toward the door. 

“C’mon let’s get some lunch.”

~

I sat and chewed on my sandwich as I watched Shane flip through my newer notes, brows furrowed in concentration. He looked like a real dork. Which was fair given that he was- a real dork. There the faint bustle of students eating lunch around us, where we were huddled at a picnic table, notes and food scattered across it’s top. 

“You really should be a conspiracy theorist Ryan- I think it’s your calling.” 

“Shut up” I kicked him under the table, he kicked me back. I resisted the urge to shove my ugly ass boots he gave me into his shin. But I didn’t have time for him to be whining about his old man bones while we were trying to solve the worlds largest modern mystery. 

“So what I’m getting from this is that we know...nothing?” Shane raised an eyebrow at me and I sighed, taking back my notebooks from his hands. 

“Pretty much yeah. We know that he started his crimes after the Great War, that his powers allow him to control people’s minds and that he vanished after his standoff with Data Head.”

“Yeah everyone thought your dad had killed him right?” Shane pulled up a newspaper article on his screen, depicting the famous fight. I could see my parents in black and white, young and vibrant. Standing on top of the skyscraper where the battle took place. I could remember watching them on the TV screen, seeing the  _ explosion. _

“Ryan-” 

I jerked out of my daze and shook my head, nodding a bit as I looked down the timeline I had written down in sloppy blue ink. I sighed through my teeth and flipped the page, the next of which was full of questions. “Yeah he uh, vanished for a bit after that. Few years until people starting seeing signs that he was alive. Although some people still thought he was dead until-”

“Until now.” Shane finished. Pulling up the articles depicting the “sickness” infecting students at the academy. “Now he’s finally resurfacing...but why now?” Shane looked down at the page I was on, where I had just added “why now?” to the plethora of other questions. He groaned and leaned back against his chair, tilting his head back as he ran his hands down his face. “This doesn’t make any sense!”

“I know.” I sighed, closing the book. “Not to mention why he was idle for those few years-”

“Maybe he was hurt in the fight?” 

“Yeah maybe…” 

_ The entire top half of the building was demolished- the ash from the fire was in the air for weeks following. They never even found either of their bodies in the wreckage. Just so much ash- _

“Wait- if this dude was around during the war wouldn’t that make him like- in his 60s by now? Atleast!” Shane sat back up, glasses now sitting lopsided on his nose. I had to resist the urge to reach out and fix them. 

“Yep” I responded, lips popping. “He’s doing well for his age I suppose.”

“And nobody has seen him without his mask? Ever?” 

“Nope.” I was just picking absently at my sandwich now, swatting away a fly as it attempted to steal some crumbs. “The only time he made a physical appearance was during the fight. And even then he was completely covered. And anytime he sent videos or spoke-”

“He disguised his voice.” Shane scratched his head, eyeing my sandwich. I rolled my eyes and slid it toward him, crossing my arms as I leaned back in my chair. 

“The man’s an enigma.” I concluded. 

“Damn right-” Shane spoke through a mouth full of food. “I mean we don’t even know why he started his little mission of evil right? Just during the war he started causing chaos and shit-”

“The council assumed he was a radical member of the Legion- well before they came the legion. Just like somebody who was really anti-normal. Because that’s who he targeted at first.” I shrugged a bit, gathering all the newspapers regarding the war. 

“But that can’t be true, he started hurting specials too-” Shane sounded softer now, I looked up to see him fixated on his sandwich. Oddly interested in pulling off the crust. 

“But only because they were defending the normal population, the legion hated normals and any specials who defended them as well so the council assumed-”

“Well the council should know that the Legion wasn’t anti-normal, they were anti-special discrimination. Just like everyone else in the war was-” Shane snapped back, bitterness creeping into his tone. I blinked up at him, surprised. 

“Yeah well the Legion took it too far- everyone knows that. What they did wasn’t right- they hurt loads of innocent normals. The hacker is a fine example of that-” I tried reasoning-

“The Hacker is nothing like the Legion!” His voice rose just barely, drawing the attention of some nearby students. I gaped at him in shock as he glared down at his food, now completely abandoned. “I meant- like it was never confirmed they were working together- nobody knows if….” He huffed and stood up, grabbing his laptop. “Forget it- I need to study for that test next class-”

“Shane hold on-” I stood up but he was already rushing off, throwing his bag on as he went. I stood in awe as he vanished around the corner of the building. Leaving me standing alone by the table covered in notes. I ran a hand through my hair, head starting to ache just barely as I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. I felt a gust of wind hit my face and for a moment it soothed me, before I heard the rustling of paper. My eyes snapped open and I spun around, racing forward as papers and notes began to scatter in the wind. I started grabbing at them desperately, most of them slipping through my fingertips. I cursed and groaned as they scattered around. 

“Fuck me!”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of purple, then several more blinding flashes of light. There was a flurry of wind and then a figure standing before me, just barely taller than I was. I blinked up in surprise. 

“Uh-Eugene?” I looked down as he handed me the stack of papers, looking nonchalant. 

“Yeah, it’s Ryan right?” He rested his hands carefully on his hips. Looking unbearably cool just standing there. 

“Uh yeah…” I shuffled the papers back into a neat stack. “Thanks for um-”

“No problem.” He smiled just barely and reached up, running a hand through his hair. “I owed you one anyways.”

“Owed me-?” I thought back to the fight with Brent earlier in the year. “Oh right! Well I mean Andrew was the one who saved all our asses hah-” I let out a low chuckle that died in my throat, the presence of the extremely attractive man making me way too sweaty and nervous. 

“Well- either way. I did appreciate it.” He glanced over my shoulder and vanished again in a flurry of purple, only to reappear again in the blink of an eye. I couldn’t help but jump before he handed me another paper. It was the newspaper clipping Mr.Norberry gave me. “Careful- don’t wanna lose your uh…”

“Homework” I blurted out. He gave me an odd look but just nodded.

“Right-” He slid his hands into his jean pockets, narrow eyes studying me carefully. “ You and that Shane guy doing alright? He seemed kinda pissed before.” 

I flushed red, realizing now that he probably wasn’t the only one who had seen that little outburst. “Oh right uh- yeah I don’t know he usually isn’t...like that.”

“He’s not?” 

“No he’s not sick- just must have said something wrong.” I corrected quickly. I turned and glanced back at where he stormed off moments ago. Something tugged at my chest. 

_ Guilt. _

No- I had no reason to be guilty. I didn’t say anything wrong. He’s the one who got all pissy for no reason. 

And yet the feeling persisted deep in my gut. 

“Maybe y’all should talk about that.” Eugene stated simply, shrugging a bit as I looked back at him. “I mean assessments are coming up you guys don’t want to be fighting during that.” He spoke smoothly, but there was an underlying tone I couldn’t seem to discern. 

“Yeah maybe you’re right-” I looked down at the newspaper in my hand, depicting the police department and all the chaos. It reminded me vaguely of the med-bay, all full of people all pushed together and-

_ Screaming- I was screaming this deep and terrible sound- _

I pushed whatever darkness that was creeping into my mind back down, ignoring the dull ache starting to ring in the back of my head. I looked back at Eugene who was studying me with careful concern. 

“You good-?”

“-you know actually I should catch up with him-” I interrupted him, clutching my notes close to my chest, starting to slowly step back.

“Yeah…” He gave me a small wave as I spun around, rushing toward the way I came. “Hey Ryan!” He called again and I spun on my heel to face him. He smiled just barely. “You need anything just let me know- and uh….sorry about your mom.” His smile dipped into one of sympathy. 

“Right-thanks.” I dipped my head in a small nod before turning around again, darting toward the dorm. Ignoring the eyes of my moms statue, which seemed to follow me with a stony glare as I vanished into the dorm building.

~

Shane wasn’t in the dorm when I got there. It was just as we had left it, leaving me to believe he hadn’t returned. I looked around in defeat before sitting on my bed, the springs creaking as my weight sunk into the mattress. I grabbed my pain medication and took my next dose, sighing as I sipped them down with some extremely warm coke from earlier today. I sat silently as the pills slid down my throat. I looked around the empty room, oddly uncomfortable with the silence that hung in the air. All of his stuff was neatly packed away, while mine was thrown haphazardly across my side. The only thing that seemed out of place on his was a black object sticking out from under the matress, the corner of it’s hard material just barely beneath his sheets. 

_ Ryan. You’re a good person. Don’t do this- _

Next thing I knew my nosy ass was darting across the room, lifting up the sheet and grabbing at the object with my fingertips. I slowly pulled it out, revealing it to be a picture frame. The glass was a bit cracked in the front, but the picture inside was still intact. It was a woman, with long brown hair and round glasses and a soft smile. I wouldn’t have recognized who she was if not for her eyes, which folded and crinkled the same way Shane’s did, but with deeper lines from age.

Shane’s mom?

She looked happy in the photo, if not a little tired. It was a nice photograph, odd of him to keep it under his mattress though- maybe he thought it was embarrassing. Maybe earlier in the year I would have laughed. But now I was just smiling at it. At her soft expression and kind eyes-

A tear landed on the glass with a small tap. 

“Ahem.” 

I jolted up from where I was crouched, hastily reaching up and wiping my eyes going to hide the photo when I realized who it was. 

“Shane I-”

He was leaned against the door which I must not have heard open. He was looking at me with this gaurded expression, all his features seemingly pulled taut. He had two milkshakes in his hands. 

“I was going to get these- say I’m sorry for being a dick at lunch but uh-” He swallowed, a dry chuckle sounding in his throat. “Guess we’re even now aren’t we?” He walked over to his desk, back facing me as he set the milkshakes down. 

“Shit man I’m sorry I saw it under your mattress and I was just curious and-” I started rambling on, anxiety hitching in my chest I hadn’t experienced in awhile. My throat felt constricted, hands shaking as they gripped the frame. 

_ Now you’ve really fucked it up this time Bergara- _

“Dude-” Shane laughed again, this time it sounded more light. He turned to me, a tired expression lining his features. “Please stop you’re gonna give me a headache.” He reached up and scratched at the back of his head, extending a hand toward me. 

“I’m so- sorry-” I handed him the photo, which he quickly pulled to his chest, like he was afraid it might vanish if he didn’t. 

“Ryan-”

“I totally invaded your space-” All my anxiety spiked into this big ball of fear in my chest.

“Ryan.”

“I get it if you hate me-” My words slurred together, mind racing, dreading the worst-

“Ryan!” Shane snapped, I almost thought he was pissed at me, then I saw his expression.

_ Surprised.  _

“Your eyes are uh-” He gave a vague gesture toward my face. I tilted my head in confusion before turning toward the mirror hanging above our desk. 

Yellow.

They were glowing a bright, bright yellow. I was taken aback, gasping a bit before the color quickly vanished, my anxiety ebbing away with it. I reached a hand up fingers lingering just barely along my eyelids.

“You seem uh- surprised. Is that not...normal?” Shane lingered over my shoulder, both of us staring at my reflection. He looked confused, the issue of the picture frame seemingly forgotten. 

“Yeah thats…” I swallowed hard. “That’s new.” I admitted a bit, blinking a few times to make sure it was gone. 

“So that doesn’t have to do with your weird- ghost shit?” He tilted his head a bit. Hair falling in his face. I felt my chest twist a bit as I stared at my face in the mirror. Wondering what the hell it was that just happened.

“No uh- not the ‘weird ghost shit’ as you call it.” I chuckled just barely and stepped away from the mirror. There was a heavy silence then, my heart started to skid back to it’s normal rhythm, the headache I hadn’t even noticed was there began to slip away. 

“So then- what was it?” Shane asked quietly. I turned and looked at him. Large body hunched in slightly on itself, protecting the picture frame as if it were something precious. Maybe to him it was- who knows. 

“We need to talk.” 

~

“So wait- wait...let me get this straight.” Shane spoke, before taking a long gulp of his milkshake. “You have like- no powers?” 

“I mean- I do have them-”

“But they only work when you’re unconscious?” He raised an eyebrow at me and I blushed, fiddling with my straw, my appetite dissipating. 

“Yeah- pretty much.” 

“Well...shit.” He let out a loud exhale from between his teeth, before taking another long sip of milkshake. The sound of air being sucked into the straw filled the room. “That’s unfortunate.” 

“That’s unfortunate?” I blinked at him, dumbstruck. “That’s it? That’s all I get? Biggest secret I’ve been keeping this year and I get…” I made a large sweeping gesture with my arms. “That’s unfortunate!”

Shane snorts, then chokes, likely sucking some milkshake straight down his throat, he coughs some up onto the carpet and I gag, turning away. 

“Look I mean yeah it sucks but what can ya do man- I’m just wondering how you got in the Academy.” He wipes his mouth and wrinkles his nose at the mess he had just made. 

“My mom got me in. Convinced the headmaster I had-” I sighed, putting up air quotes. “Potential.” I looked back down at my cup, picking at the plastic absently. “But seriously you just like- don’t care?”

“I mean…” He gives a small shrug, summoning a shadow hand to clear away the mess. “There's loads of specials who don’t have crazy powers. Why does it matter so much if you aren’t?” He tried to meet my eyes but I avoided them, focusing on the lid of my cup. 

“Seriously dude my parents were like- two of the most badass heroes like ever- isn’t a little weird I would come out with nothing?” I scoffed a bit, the irony of it stinging just barely. 

“You don’t have nothing!” Shane scolded, A shadowy hand appearing to flick me in the side of my head, earning a wince from me. “You have done some badass shit! Even if you were in a coma!” 

I couldn’t help but laugh, the feeling dancing in my chest. I looked up at Shane, who was beaming at me with an expression I couldn’t describe. 

What a weird dude.

“Besides whatever happened just now- with your freaky glowy eyes. That’s gotta be something right?” He scooted over to my side of the room, where I was huddled against my bed. He nudged me with his elbow and I cracked yet another smile, the corners of my lips upturning just barely. 

“Glowy eyes aren’t going to get us past assessments Shane-”

“So then we’ll figure something else out- do extra training or something.” He shrugged for what must have been the millionth time that evening and leaned against my bed, balancing his arm on his bent knee. “I’ll be damned if we aren’t in that stupid parade-”

I barked out an obnoxious laugh and he joined in. The room felt lighter now. Less heavy with silence, now full of laughter. I would have to thank Eugene later for the advice- as the laughter faded away I found my eyes wandering to the picture frame, which was now perched carefully on his bed. His eyes followed mine and he swallowed hard, standing up and walking back toward it. 

“Shane you don’t-”

“Nah it’s-” He picked up in his hands and stared down at it for a moment, gaze darkening in a way it had done a few times before. It made me shudder just barely. “ I don’t see her much so I keep the picture. Nearby- makes me feel like she’s close.” He admitted, shoulders slumping barely, his guard seeming to lower just a bit. 

“Oh- does she work a lot or-?” I inquired carefully, words barely balancing on my tongue. I didn’t want to upset him. 

“No- and yes. She’s at uh-” He chuckled just barely, running a hand through his hair. He did that a lot when he was nervous. “Down at the cities psychiatric center- she still works and stuff from there but she just does it to keep busy I think- sends me the projects.” He swallowed hard, moving the frame from hand to hand, avoiding my gaze. 

“Shit man- I’m sorry I didn’t-” I started to apologise and he shook his head. 

“No I mean- how would you know?” He laughed. There was a bitterness there. 

There was always a bit of bitterness with him. 

“I don’t really tell anyone- not like she would care she’s not really there- not all the time. Slips in and out you know-” His voice cracked, just barely. My chest twisted as he swallowed and bent down to tuck the photo away. “Just- like to keep her to myself I guess-” 

“Shane-” I was at a loss for words as he stood back up, wiping his hands on his jeans. What do you say to that? I stood up, lingering for a moment- unsure. Then I took a step forward, about to extend my arms-

I knocked over the fucking milkshake. It spilled all over both of our feet and we both swore and jumped back, looking down in horror as the chocolate shake poured down over the carpet. We both looked up and met each others eyes before bursting out into this loud chaotic laughter. The kind that didn’t match the situation at hand- but was necessary in it’s own way. Cathartic and full of air and tears. 

“Man I cannot catch a break today!” I cracked out between wheezes. 

“You’re telling me!” He carefully stepped over the expanding pile toward my side of the room but tripped, shoving me and himself back onto my bed. With hit the mattress with a thump and only laughed louder, both of us red and choking on the air. All the grievances of today forgotten in that moment. The grief and the mistrust and the Hacker- all of it slipped down across the floor like that  _ fucking _ milkshake. All of that shit would be there tomorrow.

Right now, both of us in all our fucked up glory. Just needed to fucking laugh.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry its short hehe but I think its got a lot of content crammed in there. I wanted to write something a little wholesome (hard given the circumstances of the last chapter) so heres my wholesome attempt on sad boys missing their moms.
> 
> Also.   
> Me @ Eugene: Heres a surprise tool that will help us later ;)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hOly fuck i've been busy-  
> I try and update this bitch but life is whooping my ass so update schedule is gonna be wack Sorry ;(( 
> 
> Pls enjoy nonetheless- i am trying my best.

Our ranking dropped- big time.

With everything that had been going on I had forgotten to keep track but now staring at the scoreboard I was brought back to the grim reality that aside from trying to solve this Hacker mystery I was still technically supposed to be a good student.

I could Shane's grim expression, staring up at the board where our names were displayed, so close to the bottom of the list. It was to be expected given how often absent we both were- but c'mon we've saved a decent amount of lives by now you would think we would be higher up.

"Its fine- assessments will bump us up." Shane interjected my thoughts, voice unsure.

"That's if we do well-"

"Which we will."

"No powers remember-"

"Don't jinx it!" He snapped, immediately cringing after he spoke. I almost asked why but he shook his head, turning to me. "We'll do extra training tonight-"

"Shane my meds knock me out I won't be able to stay up late." I tried to reason. Apparently to no avail.

"Just don't take them- you'll be fine." He insisted, earning an eye roll from me he was likely far too accustomed too.

"Shane look I have tried before to get my powers to work but obviously nothings worked out!" I sighed, both of us standing up as the Dragon blew his whistle, summoning us to the center of the stadium to practice our combat. "Face it man I'm a lost cause-"

"Well with that attitude-" he scoffed, turning his attention to The Dragon. I rolled my eyes yet again, following his eyes to Dragon as he began his lesson. He wasn't quite as loud or lively as he used to be.

Nobody was really the same lately.

~

"Ryan!" I heard someone call out as me and Shane left the arena, both sweaty disasters from the hour of combat training. My head snapped to Sara, bounding over to me with curls whipping around her face from the wind. I stopped in my tracks, stiffening up just barely as she approached, earning an odd look from Shane.

"Oh uh...hey Sara." I offered a tight lipped smile which she didn't return. She looked me up at down cautiously before clearing her throat.

"I haven't seen you around much, you doing alright?" She inquired, gaze flicking up to Shane for just a split second before back to me.

"Yeah I guess." I shrugged. "Just been...busy"

"Hah- yeah." She replied flatly. Extending an uncomfortable moment of silence.

I could see Shane glance at me, eyes pleading in the corner of my vision. I just cleared my throat again, glancing down at my shoes.

"Curly's having a christmas party. You should come everyone misses you-" Sara blurted out. Piercing the silence. She met my eyes and I could see all the concern lurking there. I swallowed hard and nodded, turning my head back down toward my feet.

"Uh- yeah. Ill try and make it." I said softly. I could still feel her staring at me for a few more moments before she sighed and stuffed her hands in her hoodie pockets.

"Right well- I hope you come. See you later...maybe" She darted past me. Leaving me and Shane alone again. I huffed and turned, watching her go as I ran a hand through my hair.

"What was that about-?" Shane started to inquire, just as I turned on my heel to start walking to our next class.

"Nothing- it's fine." I said quickly, speedwalking and rubbing my hands together, trying to warm up my fingers.

"Bullshit- why are you avoiding them? Aren't they like your best buds or whatever?" Shane caught up to me with ease, having the advantage in the legs department.

"They are- I think..." I groaned and stopped walking, staring ahead of me where my breath twirled around in a faint mist in front of my face. "They're just weird after...everything." I brought my hands to my mouth and blew my hot breath into them."Its like- whenever they talk to me its like...weird."

" _like they're all cautious- like I might break down and cry any second."_

I brought my hands back down, my fingers still trembling just barely from the cold. Suddenly Shane was grabbing my hands and I almost pulled back before my hands were covered in shadows, now coated in a slight warmth. I looked up at him in surprise before he quickly released my palms, leaving me with the wisps of warm shadows still dancing on my cold skin.

"I get it." He said quickly, avoiding my gaze as he summoned his own shadows for his hands.

"You do?" I inquired, watching with fascination as the shadows danced around, like the clear imprint of gloves on my hands.

"Yeah- people were the same way with my mom." His voice wavered just barely and he turned away from me, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets. "Cept' she's not- well you know...So it's different in that sense-"

"No you're right. You're not like that."

_You don't look at me any different." I_ thought to myself  as I opened and closed my fist a few times. _"Not like they do-"_

"But they're just trying to be nice Ryan- most people don't know how to act about that kinda thing. You shouldn't get mad at them-"

"I know." I sighed, finally letting my hands fall back to my side, the warmth starting to fade away again as the cold set back in. "I just-"

"Can't help it." He finished, offering me a small smile, which I returned, just barely.

"I'll go to the party."

"Good. Thats good."

We both smiled to ourselves and continued on our way to class. Both of our hands lingering with warmth.

~

Mr.Norberry wasn't in class that day, replaced instead by a substitute whose voice was so monotonous and dull Shane had to keep elbowing me in the side to keep me awake. 

The meds for my head didn't help, given their side effect of basically constant drowsiness, usually guaranteeing I was dead asleep by the end of the day. Not to mention nightmare free, not that I was complaining though, it was about time I got some decent rest.

I ended up sleeping for the rest of the class period. Shane gave up waking me up I guess. Don't blame him, I get grouchy after naps. 

~

"Stay with me Ryan!" 

I snapped awake, nearly dosing off, leaned against a punching bag. 

"Shit sorry!" I shook myself awake and swung another punch at the bag, the sound of my glove hitting the plastic ringing out in the empty arena. I blinked a few times, trying to push down remaining drowsiness. "Can I ask though- why exactly are we doing this?"

"Muscle stimulation, getting your energy flow up" Shane answered from the other side of the bag, where he braced it against my hits. "Always gotta get the blood pumping before you use your powers otherwise you'll burn out really fast-"

"Yeah but-" I swung another punch. "Some people burn out fast either way-" 

_"Like you."_ I almost said. But decided against it. 

He hesitated a bit before continuing. Obviously knowing what I was referencing. "Well peoples powers come from a lot of different places- some people burn through it quicker depending on how much it takes out of you." He stepped back away from the bag and lifted his hands up, summoning a flurry of shadows in his palms. "Like for example...me or your buddy Andrew. Our stuff is powerful but in small bursts. We have to recharge after to keep ourselves going-"

"He drank gatorade-" I interjected. Shane nodded.

"And i soak up some darkness." He smiles, seemingly glad I was catching on. He snapped, the shadows vanishing from his grip. 

"Alright- so what in order to have powers I just have to...find the source?" I couldn't help but chuckle. "If it were that easy wouldn't I have done it by now-?"

"Its not about finding it- you already have one obviously. You've used your powers before like in the bathroom. You just need to find what you tapped into before-" He stomped his foot, casting a flurry of darkness around his boot. "And do it again-" 

"But I Don't even remember how I did it before-" I had tried looking back at what I felt when I astral projected last. But all I could seem to recall was this terrible spiral of dark and fear. 

"Well there must have been something!" He stepped forward, pushing the punching bag toward me. "How did you move that rock thing?"

"I don't know-" I hit the bag back towards him. "I just- had to." 

"But why?" He swung it back, harder.

"Cause you were-" I caught the bag between my hands and hesitated. " _We_ were in danger." I tossed it back, not wanting to do this back and forth anymore-

"Then maybe you just need to think you're in danger again-" As the bag swung back toward him he reared back and kicked it back in my direction, full swing. 

I tried to block it, or hit it back in time. But I was too sluggish, too slow. It smacked me right in the face and sent me scrambling toward the floor. 

"Shane!" I hissed, rubbing at my nose where pain sparked across it. I could hear him rush over.

"Shit sorry- got a bit carried away there-" there was laughter in his voice, but concern too. 

"No shit Mr.Miyagi!" I groaned and went to stand up, he grabbed onto my arm to help me. 

"Usually you're faster then that-" 

I blinked open my eyes, the daze from the hit fading from my vision. I looked up at him and could see concern etched into his features, eyes studying me critically. 

"I'm tired man-" I shrugged half heartedly, turning away from him and toward where our stuff sat on the bleachers. "I told you training tonight wasn't a good idea-" 

"Yeah you're right..." He trailed off, mind seeming to wander elsewhere as he looked between me and our things. "Lets head back." 

"Yes please-" I groaned, rubbing the bridge of my nose as I walked back toward our stuff. Trying to ignore the way Shanes eyes burned into the back of my neck. 

~

The next week of classes went about the same way. Mostly dull and not worth noting. Mr.Norberry had yet to return and our placement on the scoreboard remained stagnant. I seemed to care less and less about that as the days stretched on. Too fixated on the upcoming break to focus on much of anything else. I spent most of my time actively ignoring the christmas decor that begun to spring up around campus, including the festive wreaths that began to pile up around my moms memorial.

As far as I knew, Christmas wasn't happening this year. 

~

I stared at my pile of clothes, mind trying to muster up the creativity to pick out an outfit to wear to the damn party. 

_The fuckin party._

I had basically pushed it to the back of my mind with the rest of the Christmas bullshit I had been ignoring. Now the break had arrived and I couldn't disregard it any longer. 

_Fuck.This._

"You uh- alright there bud?"

"I'm not going." I proclaimed. Before slamming myself face first into my bed. 

"Ryan-"

"No! No-" I groan into my sheets, turning my head to face him. "Don't  _Ryan_ me-"

"Just go for a little bit- its only polite!" He spun around in his chair, leaving his homework temporarily abandoned. It was funny, he seemed to be the only one who still cared about their work this time of year. 

"Ugh!" I rolled back over, burying my face in my comforter, half hoping I might accidentally smother myself and pass out. 

"Ryan-"

I just shook my head. 

"Ill-" he started to say something. Then there was a heavy pause. 

"Huh-?"

"Ill go with you-"

We spoke at once. I turned my head, eyebrow cocked in confusion. I swear I almost saw him blush. 

"If you want that is- figured it might make you more comfortable-" he was avoiding my gaze.

"You hate parties-" I began

"And christmas-" He finished, grimacing a bit. "But if it'll help you-"

"You don't have to-" I sat up, blinking at him drowsily. He looked back up at me, expression more sincere then I had ever seen it. 

"I get it Ryan- I want to help." 

"But-" I trailed off. Taken aback by the kind gesture. I could tell his was nervous for the offer and yet- 

"Alright...alright fine." I smiled, just barely. Unable to hide my relief. 

"Okay-" he was smiling too. "Okay give me 15 minutes-"

~

Being the dysfunctional duo we are we arrived an hour late. 

I knocked on the door. Waiting patiently as Shane bounced on his heels behind me. 

"Dude relax-"

"I am relaxed-" he bit back, glancing between the door and his watch. "Maybe we're too late- we should go-"

"Ryan!" 

The door swung open, Curly's booming voice echoing out into the hall over the sound of christmas music blaring from inside his dorm. He wrapped me up in a hug and I gulped, barely able to return the gesture due to my restricted limbs.

"We almost thought you weren't coming!" He cooed in my ear, unwrapping himself from me, grin plastered across his face. 

"I wouldn't miss it for the world" I tried to match his enthusiasm, smiling back the best I could. His eyes then danced over to my taller companion, lips suddenly pressing together in surprise. 

"Hey uh- Shane-" He extended a hand over my shoulder. Curly raised an eyebrow at me before smiling at Shane, carefully shaking his hand back.

"Nice to meet you-" Curly said as he studied him with a calculating gaze. I could see Curly's eyes flash pink for an instant and he recoiled, looking more guarded then he had before. "Come in-" he said curtly, turning and briskly walking inside. 

Shane gave me a confused look. All I could do was shrug in response.

"That's Curly for you." 

~

The party was more...busy then I anticipated. Curly was evidently the popular fellow, the dorm packed tight with kids from school. I saw a few people I recognized, of course Sara and Jen who were beyond ecstatic to see me, we even bumped into Eugene, who was his typical handsome self. Shane was especially quiet around him, barely even offering a Hello. And yet as we went to leave Eugene leaned up to whisper something to my taller friend, making his blush a bright red. After Eugene left I spun around to face him.

"What the hell was that about-?" I started to question

"Hey booze!" He interuppted, noticing a cooler of beers on the kitchen counter before grabbing us a pair. "Here-" he passed me one, eyes flicking over my shoulder. I followed his gaze to find him watching Eugene weave through the crowd. I looked back at him to find him blushing still, just barely. 

A realisation dawned on me. I thought back to before I knew Shane, all of the rumors I heard during the first few weeks here. 

"You like him or something?" I couldn't help but ask. I watched him turn an ever brighter red and shoot me a glare. "He wasn't that guy you made out with at that party was he-?" 

Shane winced and brought his beer up to his lips for a long swig. 

"No and _no!_ \- god Ryan what are you sixteen-" He blushed and stared down at his feet, making me grin just barely. 

"No c'mon you totally think he's hot-" I nudged him with my elbow and he shoved me back, shooting me another glare.

"I mean- obviously he is fucking gorgeous but I'm not like-" He groaned, reaching up to rub at the corner of his eyes. "Im not like  _in_ to him- and I'm certainly not making out with him-don't know where the hell you got that from-" he was a deep shade of scarlet now. Anybody across the room could have noticed it. 

"Mhm~" I smirk and take a sip of my beer, enjoying the way it fizzled down my throat, despite the cheap taste. Reminded me of highschool parties with the gossip and cheap booze-

Man I miss highschool. 

"I need to piss- I'll be back-" Shane swallowed hard and handed me his beer. I grinned and smacked him on the back, winking and shooting a glance back at Eugene. He flipped me off before vanishing in the crowd. Leaving me alone with two half empty beers in my hands. Surrounded by a bunch of drunken specials singing off key christmas music.

Fuck it. 

I chugged down both of the remain beers and dipped into the crowd. If I was going to be miserable I might as well have fun with it.

~

You know- now I remember why I liked parties so much.

Everything was a technicolor blur, christmas lights shining as bright as stars. The crowd becoming this sea of swaying bodies and tipping beer bottles. It was entrancing to watch from where I was curled on the couch, head laying in some random girls lap. She was crying about her boyfriend dumping her- I pretended to listen as I watched Sara and Jen across the room play beer pong with some other duo. I lost track of who was winning ages ago, but I was entranced nonetheless. 

I should really hang out with them more- I miss them. 

I found my eyes drifting to the string of christmas lights hanging on the wall adjacent to me. One of them was broken, a blue one right in the middle. 

We had one like that at home, with a broken blue one in the middle. Dad would always fix it every year but it just kept breaking. It became a staple of our christmas decor. Always front and center in the living room.

Well until after he-

Yeah.

We didn't decorate much after that. 

Or really do much of anything during christmas time. Mom was always busy, busy, busy.

There were cheers throughout the party, Jen and Sara had won the beer pong. 

Where was Shane?

I was crying into the random girls lap now. Not that she cared though- she was too wasted to notice.

Why was I even sad?

Fuck it who knows-

~

I was stumbling out into the hallway, vomiting into a potted plant. 

Poor plant.

I had the stupid string of christmas lights in my hand, dragging behind me. I gripped tight onto them as I stumbled to my knees, retching into the pot. Everything from probably the past 24 hours was deposited- meds, food, alcohol. Who knows at this point.

Why did I grab these lights?

A couple stumbled out into the hallway, doing some...ungodly things. 

Merry christmas amirite-

~

Cold- it was fuckin cold. 

I was outside- forgot my jacket. My whole body shivering as I stumbled across the courtyard.

I was mumbling some stupid ass christmas song.

"Oh bless the gentlemen- merry he be" 

Or some shit like that.

It was California man why was it so cold-

~

Somebody was shaking my shoulder. Trying to wake me up. I didn't want to wake up. I was dreaming of these big feathery wings that wrapped me up-

I was  _safe._

"Ryan- bud-" 

Shane was there, voice calm and familiar in my ear. I groaned and opened my eyes, face stiff from the cold. He was crouched next to where I lay on the cold concrete, his coat in his hands. He smiled down at me, soft and kind. 

"Ffhdjdm-" I muttered. Or something along those lines. He just nodded like he understood and threw the coat over me. 

"Lets go back to the dorm bud-" 

I mumbled something else, I didn't even know what I intended to say. I tried to sit up but I was so cold- so dizzy. I looked down to see that string of lights all wrapped around my arm. Shane noticed too and reached out to tug it off.

"N-no" I stuttered out, pulling my arm back. I slowly sat up, looking up at the large marble figure that I had been curled up against. Her familiar stoic expression staring out into the night. "For- her" I whispered. Barely audible. 

He just nodded again and waited.

With shaking fingers I slowly removed the lights from my arm and lay them down at her feet. I placed my hand on the marble like I wanted to say something. But I didn't. 

Of course I didn't.

"Ready?" 

I nodded. Tugging the coat around my shoulders, desperate for warmth. Shane wrapped his arms around me and heaved me up, my weight sinking into him as he slowly clambered to his feet, my shaking hands gripping his coat. 

"Alright- hold on." 

I wrapped an arm around his neck, leaning my head into his shoulder, breathing in the scent of cheap beer and cologne. Something I certainly wouldn't have done sober but- here we are. He clutched me close and before I knew it we were both surrounded by shadow, the darkness wrapping me up like a heavy blanket. It felt almost soft to the touch- warm. 

_Safe._

it felt safe.

~

In the dark Ryan was pressed against Shane. Head close to his chest. He could hear his heartbeat thudding quick and rhythmic. 

He could hear his bated breath.

He swore he could feel the way his heart was twisting in his chest. How his body trembled with  _worry_

He saw something in the dark then, eyes glowing yellow. He saw a woman, pale and thin in a hospital gown. Her eyes wide and pale, unrecognizable. Then somewhere else he saw a man, face hidden by a red cloak. Black cat perched on his shoulder.

"Whats wrong kid? Cat got your tongue?" A voice whispered. Ryan tasted Shane's fear, imprinted on these echoes of memory, suspended for a moment in a world outside his own- 

Then he was back in the hallway outside their dorm, wrapped up in Shane's arms. The previous visions forgotten. 

After all- it probably was nothing.

~

Back in the dorm we didn't talk about it. We didn't talk about where he went during the party. We didn't talk about me getting wasted. We didn't talk about anything. He set me on the couch, put on The Shining and made us both hot chocolate. Then we sat in silence. Both of us staring at our mugs absently. 

After awhile I was the first one to speak.

"Thank you...I probably would have gotten hypothermia." I watched the steam from the hot chocolate swirl above my mug. My muddled mind made me notice how much it looked like smoke rising from a fire and I had to look away, trying to settle the nausea in my stomach.

"Please don't puke on the couch-" Shane chuckled, hand landing on my shoulder for a moment before pulling away just as quickly. I laughed too, pushing the sickness back down.

"That'll be my christmas gift to you- not puking on the couch" I grinned lazily up at him.

"Better then what I got you-" He started, I opened my mouth to speak and he cut me off. "Which is nothing by the way- I don't really do Christmas- don't get your hopes up."

"Yeah no...." I stared up at the TV screen, where a pair of creepy twins was lurking in a dark hallway. "Fuck christmas" I mumbled.

Shane laughed- hard. So I laughed too. It wasn't that funny but it felt right. He lifted up his hot chocolate mug toward mine and grinned "to fucked up childhoods and hating the holidays" 

I raised my mug to his, they clinked together in a satisfying way. I took a sip, enjoying the way the warm drink slid down my throat. 

"And a happy new year" 

Then of course Ryan puked on the couch. And Shane cleaned it up. 

But that was a better christmas then either of them had in years. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry christmas ya filthy animals


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter to start of the new year! Do enjoy some spicy exposition

_Focus_.

_Breathe._

_Concentrate._

I sat with my eyes closed. Trying to think- to focus on that night in the bathroom. The fight with Steven. Saving Shane. 

_I just need to find the source of my powers, that’s what Shane said._

What did I feel that night? What did I do different from normal? I got whacked over the head. But I’m not sure if that correlates...I was unconscious? That would make sense- given my dreams have some type of physic shit going on- 

But I haven’t even had any of those lately. I’ve been sleeping like a dream. No nightmares. Which has been great but also strange. It’s like I’m missing something. 

_But what is it?_

I close my eyes shut harder, trying to focus as much as I can, “center my energy” as Shane says. But that’s easier said then done, he’s basically the most emotionally centered person I’ve ever met, I’m some type of emotional disaster. I either feel too much or nothing at all- and right now we’re living in the latter. 

“Ryan, have you seen-?” I open my eyes to see Shane opening the door to the dorm, he’s got a bad of groceries in hand. He’s stopped, likely having spotted me in my meditation-like position. 

“Sorry was I interrupting?” 

“No” I sigh. Unfolding my legs and stretching them out across my bed. “Did I see what?”

”The news-“ he looks cautious when he says it. Which isn’t a good signs. The News is never a good sign. 

“No what’s up?” I don’t know why I’m asking him, I’m already going for the remote, flicking on our small TV. 

“It’s uh- it’s a Doozy” 

_“Franklin Norberry, professor at the Academy of Heroes, has been arrested under charges of treason to the council-“_

_“_ Shit-“ 

“Yeah-“ Shane says back, he’s lingering behind me. 

“What the hell did he do?” 

_Security footage was uncovered of the previously esteemed professor stealing confidential documents from the Headmaster. Documents that were described as holding “Top Secret Council Information” The documents have yet to be recovered. If anyone has any information-“_

I turn off the TV. 

“Guess people were right about him- crazy bastard” Shane said, half joking. But I didn’t laugh. 

“You don’t think- he was involved with the..” I trail off. I can’t say it. 

“Oh-“ He’s quieter now. “I didn’t even think about that.” 

Something bubbles up in me, just barely. I find myself pressing it back down. Then I’m on my feet, grabbing my bag. 

“We need to go to his office-“ 

“Ryan what-?” Shane’s watching me with wide eyes. I don’t need to look at him to know, he always makes the same face when I’m trying to do something stupid-

“Maybe he was working with the Hacker- Maybe there’s something there that can help us learn more-“ I throwing my notes and shit into my bag, shoving the papers down haphazardly. 

“Ryan- ryan we don’t know that he was working with the Hacker- even if he was his room is probably all locked up under investigation-“ 

I stop. He was probably right shit- Unless- 

“There was a camera in his room- if we can get into that footage we can see what he was doing-We need to break into the headmasters office”

”Now see somehow that’s worse-“

He continued to protest but I wasn’t listening. I was out of the door and he was right behind me. I knew he would be. He can’t stand to miss out on a bit of chaos. 

~

We’re basically outside her office when I realize I don’t have a plan. 

“You need to go all shadow mode. She’ll let me in but not you. You hide out in there until we leave alright? Then find the footage and get out of there.” 

“First of all don’t call it “shadow mode” that’s dorky as hell-“ he huffed, staring at the door. “Second of all do you know how risky this is? Next thing you know we’ll be tried for treason!” 

I smile. “Worse things have happened this year.” 

We both head inside. He’s a shadow, lurking beneath my feet. It’s odd to know he’s literally right beneath me. How does that even feel? I didn’t want to think about it, it would give me a headache. I knock on the door. 

“Who is it?” I hear the headmasters familiar cool tone from inside. 

“It’s me- Ryan.” I sound uncomfortable. Because I am. We haven’t talked much since...yeah. 

“Come in.” 

I step inside the cold room and sit down, glancing down and watching the shadows dance from my feet  to a dark corner of the room. Hiding away amongst the dusty bookshelves. 

“So it’s been awhile” I said, fiddling with my fingers. 

“Indeed.” she speaks flatly. “May I ask what it is you need?” 

Shit I didn’t think about that- 

“I mean what- I can’t just...visit?” I smile uncomfortably, forgetting it was in vain. 

“Correct me if I’m wrong but-“ She narrowed her eyes. “You despise me”

”I don’t-“ Do I? No- not right now. “I don’t despise you.” I clear my throat. 

“Ryan.” Her fingers tap on her cane. It’s a random rhythm. Which is comforting for some odd reason. “I may be old but I am not a fool-“ 

“you’re not old- you’re barely older then my mom” I chuckle a bit. “But yeah do you act like you’re ancient sometimes-“ 

She gave me a very familiar glare. But it wasn’t serious. It was light. Mildly annoyed- but not mad. 

“Nonetheless-“ She continues, drawing her cane closer to her. “Why are you here? Really.” 

Fuck- Think fast- 

“I wanted to talk about mom.” 

Jesus Christ- 

She was unable to hide her discomfort. I continued on- 

“I don’t really have anyone else to talk to her about so- I thought maybe-“ I trail off. Hoping to use some well timed guilt tripping-

“well yes I suppose-“ She swallowed hard. “What is it you wanted to talk about?”  

And then hen we talked- really talked. More then I had talked to her in years. It was weird at first- given that we were both extremely emotionally challenged, I didn’t even know what to ask at first but somehow I found the questions- 

“What was she like when she was younger?” 

“How did she meet dad?” 

“Did she like being a hero?” 

After a bit of talking I realized how little I knew about her. I almost felt like I knew my dad better and he was around for a much shorter time. It was- nice to hear how someone else perceived her. And not just some shitty tabloid or overly political meathead. It was like- really getting to know her. For the first time since my dad died. 

Since my dad died- I haven’t even thought about that in...jeez. 

By the end of it we were both laughing, and crying. I had almost completely forgotten Shane was in the room with us-  listening in on an extremely personal conversation...oh well- I still had to get her out of the room. 

“Let’s get something to eat” I blurt out. “We haven’t hung out outside of school for ages-“ 

“Yes It has been some time- but I do have a lot of work to do here-“ She looked unsure. 

“We can be quick- I promise. My treat! Like a late Christmas gift.” I put on my best smile, again forgetting it was useless. 

She smiles. “Alright- if we’re quick.” 

She grabs a coat, and her keys, about to lock the place before we go. I panic and stumble into her- she drops the keys. 

“Oh shit my bad- haha clumsy me ill get your keys-“ I bend down to grab the keys from the carpet. I swear I can see shadows shifting nearby. 

“Language young man- Do please lock the door behind us.” 

I take her by the arm and lead her out. Giggling the doorknob and keys as we leave. I wink at the darkness as I walk out, not knowing if he saw it but hoping he did. If not I probably just looked really stupid. 

~

Dinner was- pleasant. Oddly normal. I hadn’t sat down with an adult and ate in...Well a loss ass time. When I dropped her off I had to pretend to unlock the doors again and left her be. Rushing back to the dorm. 

“About damn time!” Shane’s voice rang out as I rushed inside. Closing and locking the door behind me. 

“Sorry she takes forever to eat-“ I look over at him hopefully, and he grins and pulls out a flash drive. I grin back and face over, taking the piece of plastic in my hands. 

“You got it! Hell yeah Shane you’re amazing-“ I was speaking fast, grinning as I examined the flash drive between my fingers. I didn’t notice him turning pink behind me. I immediately rushed to my computer to plug it in. 

“Hah- yeah.” I could hear him clear his throat behind me. “But be warned there’s a shit ton of footage. It’ll take a little while to sift through it all”

”Thats fine- can just do that when we’re not getting ready for assessments-“ I start downloading the footage. I spin back around to him, still beaming. But he looks a bit more downcast. My smile falters. 

“You good?” I ask. He blinks up at me, surprised. 

“Oh-yeah just worn out I think-“ He reaches up and ruffles his hair up in the back. 

“Aight-“ I look him up and down. I mean he looks normal but something feels off...

”Actually I’m gonna go on a little jog I think-“ 

“Shane you hate exercise-“ 

“new year, new me baby!” He winks. Making me laugh. Then he’s heading out the door before I can ask anymore questions. 

“Be safe!” I call after him. He gives me a thumbs up before vanishing behind the closed door. Leaving me alone with my thoughts and my slow ass computer. I found myself watching the loading screen, waiting patiently for everything to download, meanwhile the gears in my head churned. I found myself tempted to worry about Shane, but this type of behavior wasn’t particularly unusual. He probably just wanted some alone time. 

So I went to the next issue at hand- Norberry. It made sense I guess that he was a traitor- but some part of me felt betrayed in a way- I thought maybe he was somebody I could trust but apparently I’m just predisposed to being let down by people- but here’s what I don’t get? 

If he was plotting against the council, why involve me? Why share his theories with me? To try and plant conspiracies in my head? To confused me? To turn me against the council? How did he know I wouldn’t have turned him into the council myself? Not to mention the cryptic clues- 

I was moving toward my bedside table. Taking out the things he had given me. The newspaper article, the book- not to mention all the weird shit he said. 

“Bad things always happen in threes-“ 

something about that seemed familiar. But not in a way I could place. I found myself reading the newspaper article again,about the attack on the police station. It didn’t make any sense- I mean for all I know Norberry was just a nutcase- 

But then why does that police station seem so familiar-

Something clicks. I don’t know what it is. But I’m flipping through the book, the one about the famous villains. I’m looking for it- that police station in the article. It was just a whim and yet- 

Aha! 

There it was, the same glimmering building. Right on the page titled; “The defeat of Haywire. A day to be remembered.” I It was dated 11 years back. I recognized the story. A classic among the council. Haywire, a member of the original legion of evil, one of the first to join the ranks of the Hacker. She was a big problem in the years following the war. Until a local police station managed to find a way to catch her- 

“The heroic policemen cornered Haywire by the city docks- her weakness quickly to be discovered to be nothing other then water. They brought in the entire station to take her town. In a scene that might consider to be straight out of “The Wizard of Oz” 

I read the page, skimming over the article and looking at the pictures. She had this classic suit, all green and blue. I remember my dad talking about her once, they used to work together before the war, both of them being tech heroes. 

Something twisted in my chest. I chose to ignore it. 

So what’s the point? Why would Norberry point out this one villain? What does the attack on the station have to do with anything? She should be in jail still there’s no way she would still be able to be involved in what’s going on- I read on into the “Where are they now?” Section. But she wasn’t listed as being in prison as I thought- 

Oh- 

“After A few weeks under custody of the police station, Haywire was transferred to the cities psychiatric center, being deemed too mentally unstable to remains in police custody. To this day she remains  there, her health status unknown.”

  _Oh_ - 

Well no that’s gotta be a coincidence-

Surely it’s not-

No-

I read through it again. Nowhere in the pages did it mention her having children. But yet- I thought about that night in the headmasters office- he was angry about one of the students attending the school- 

The computer dings. My thoughts are interrupted. The download is done. Next thing I know I’m rushing to the computer, trying to sort through the footage- but damn it there’s so much of it. But now I’ve got this itch- this pressing fear forming in the back of my mind. 

So I sit and I search through the footage. Dead into the night. Shane’s away for awhile doing god knows what. I don’t find much for awhile. I stop when I see his meeting with me when he gives me the newspaper. The man looks scared out of his mind once I leave. He sits at his desk and then he’s rolling up his sleeve- there’s a strange bruise on his wrist. Reminding me faintly of the one I had on my arm- I found myself running my fingers over it as I kept watching. He was pacing around the room, eyes flicking to the camera every now and then. 

He knew he was being watched and yet- 

He leaves the room in a hurry. I fast forward. He’s back in the room later. He’s got the files- right there in his arms. He looks absolutely manic at this point, tearing his room apart, looking for something. He seems to get frustrated and grab a pen of his desk, then he’s- 

I have to look away before he jams the pen into his wrist, right over the bruise. The man was almost certainly a nutcase. Yet still I turned back, he was pressing a coat to his wrist and sticking all the papers under his arms. His eyes flicked up to the camera and he opened his mouth as if to scream- 

The camera went dark, I could see the glass start to shatter before it shut off. I sat stunned for a moment- unable to process what the hell I just saw- I didn’t get the the chance too because next thing I knew Shane was bursting into the room. For some reason I found myself slamming the computer shut. He gave me a weird look. 

“I’m not looking at porn if that’s what you’re thinking-“ 

He laughs. But it’s not right. It seems broken and frayed on the edges. He looks- not good. 

“You alright?” I ask, standing up quickly. 

“No I’m fine just-“ He seems to be thinking of something to say. “Did you find anything in the footage yet?” He seems to decide to not comment. 

“Oh no-“ I’m lying. “Nothing yet.” Why am I lying? 

“Oh that’s too bad- we can look at it tomorrow I’m gonna head to bed-“ Then he’s turning off the light and I’m wishing him goodnight. I go to my own bed and quickly stuff Mr.Norberrys clues under my pillow for now. I didn’t know why I was hiding things from him. I didn’t know why I suddenly felt so weary. I didn’t know anything- all of his dumb clues could have been bullshit. Maybe I was looking at them wrong? 

Then why am I being so cautious? 

I needed to focus on the issue at hand. Those files- Norberry must have hid them before he was arrested- or gave them to someone. Either way they were out there somewhere, and I bet they had something important on them. So next step was to figure out where the hell they went. It felt good having a game plan and yet- 

“Shane- can I ask you something...personal?” I said it quietly, almost hoping he wouldn’t hear me. 

“Uh...Maybe?” He said, sounding groggy. 

“Your mom...has she been in that center for long?” 

A silence lingered in the room. For a moment I feared I had made him upset-

“I mean- yeah. Probably about...” He was quiet for a moment. “Since I was a little kid. Ten years or so-“ 

Discomfort settled in my chest. But I pushed it back down. I was jumping to conclusions, it obviously couldn’t be true- 

Could it?

“Ryan-“ 

“Yeah?”

”When you were talking to the headmaster, in her office. You said you didn’t really know your mom- was that true?” 

It was a loaded question. Another heavy silence fell. 

“Yeah. She was always distant I guess-After my dad died-“ I swallowed hard, I don’t know if I had ever said that out loud. “I didn’t know her, not really.” 

Silence. 

“Yeah-I get that.” Shane said. Then that was it. Radio silence for the rest of the night. He fell asleep with ease. It took longer for my headache pills to work tonight. I was probably thinking too much. About Norberry and what all his clues meant- I mean really what did Haywire have to do with anything? If anything at all- Norberry certainly seemed to lose it in the end there. My arm just ached thinking about it. 

I found myself reaching back under my pillow for the newspaper, I pulled it out, reading through it again under the dim moonlight. I looked at the villains involved, I didn’t recognize most of them, they were probably just low level guys. But I did recognize one. I wasn’t sure from where but his name seemed familiar. I would have to look him up tomorrow. But for now my eyes were growing heavy. Pulled into the lull of a peaceful, dreamless sleep. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All y’all theorists out there better get to work-


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was fun too write. That’s all I’m sayin.
> 
> That and let’s just say I love writing unstable Shane and Ryan-

I woke up and Shane was gone. Again. That was the 3rd day in a row he had left in the middle of the night and admittedly it was getting a bit annoying to be blatantly honest. 

Where the fuck does he even go? 

I tidied up the room a bit. Checking the time. We had class in less then an hour, the bliss of a Christmas break now coming to an end. Assessments were upcoming and Unity Day was this month- we couldn’t afford to have him going awol. But apparently he didn’t care.

I did some of that meditation shit but I couldn’t concentrate for more then a few moments. I paced around the room for a bit. Then sat at my computer and watched the footage I had already reviewed probably dozens of times. 

It was all the same. The frantic behavior, the stealing the papers, the stabbing himself with the pen- (still disgusting by the way). Then him putting out the camera. I watched it again in frustration, scanning the screen for any type of answer or indication of where he might have left the papers. If I could find those I could know what the Hacker might be after, if he is working with the Hacker that is- 

God this shit is getting confusing-

I Shut my computer in frustration and rub my eyes. My head hurts but that’s nothing new. I check the time. Class in half an hour and still he’s not here. 

I get ready. Tidy up some more. Pace a bit more. 15 minutes and he’s still not there. 

Try mediating, nothing. 10 minutes. 

He’s not coming. I leave without him. 

~ 

Shane shows up to class 20 minutes late, looking- not well. He appears thoroughly rattled as he slides into the seat next to mine, where I’m half listening to the lecture. I can hear him basically panting  next to me. 

“Very punctual Madej” I tease. He doesn’t laugh. He looks absolutely ghastly. 

“Ryan- I think-“ he mutters quietly, trailing off. Next thing I know he’s rushing out of his chair to the garbage can to- 

Oh- fucking gross. 

The teacher sends him out of class, I go with him. 

~

More vomiting ensues. We’re back in that bathroom, they have painted over where the sink used to be. Being back here isn’t great but Shane’s currently immobile as I stand outside the stall, waiting for him to finish. 

“You good in there big guy?” There’s an underlying fear to that question. I don’t voice the concern just yet, he didn’t seem  _that_ sick back in the classroom. 

“Hhhngh” is all I get in response. I chuckle just barely, wanting to lighten the mood a bit. The stall door is open just barely in case I need to assist. I peak inside and the man is crouched down, way too big to be all curled up like that. He’s sweating a fuck ton but I don’t know if that’s fever or from him running into class- 

I step inside and place a hand on the back of his neck to check. He doesn’t have a fever.  _Good_. I feel myself relax a little. Apparently so does he because he sinks into the touch, leaning his head back and groaning. I laugh again and he wrinkles his nose. 

“Don’t laugh at my misery.” 

“I can’t help it, you look a mess-“ 

“Thank you- very sweet of you” He rolls his eyes and leans back over the toilet. Continuing with business. I hesitate for a moment before squatting down and reaching a hand down and rubbing his back. He seems to relax a bit, shaking a bit under my touch. I feel lost, usually I’m the wreck in these situations. There’s a moment of quiet when he’s not puking his guys out and all I can hear is us breathing and my hand lingers for just a few moments too long between his shoulders before I pull back, standing back up. As I do this he reaches up and grabs my wrist. He looks up at me, frantic. 

“I need to show you something” 

Before I can protest he’s standing up, then there’s certainly not enough room in there for both of us, we’re bumping together in all sorts of places. But he reaches past me and closes and locks the door. 

“Uh- Shane” 

“sh-“ He grabs his bag off the floor, head bumping into my leg as he leans down. I try to slide further back, to make more room but god we’re still so close together and it smells awful in there- 

“look dude I like you but not this much-“ I joke and he gives me a glare out of the corner of his eye, as he rummages around in his bag. 

“I didn’t want to be on camera- and could you shut up for a second-“ He chides. Finding what he’s looking for and taking a deep breath. 

“Shane what’s-“ I cant help but get a bit worried- 

“Don’t freak out-“ He warms. Our eyes meet. And it’s weird cause we’re so close together. But I nod anyway. Having more faith in him then I probably should. 

Then he pulls out a folder. A folder I know and recognize from the security footage. 

_The missing files._

“Holy shit-“ 

“I said don’t freak out-“

”Shane holy shit-“  I took in this big stuttering breath and grabbed a fistful of my own hair, suddenly feeling very nauseas myself. “How- when- What!?” I almost shout. 

“Shhh!” 

“Where the hell did you get these!?” I whisper shout. It feels very stupid but it’s more practical I suppose. 

“They were uh-“ he blinked a few times, as if trying to gather his thoughts. “I went to see my mom last night-“ 

Oh- now I felt bad for getting angry with him- but that’s a issue for another time. 

“And it was dropped off there as a package for her, so they gave it to me and-“ he stared down at them, looking paler just at the sight of them. “I just about shit myself when I saw what they were- I didn’t know what to do so I came here-“ he gulped. “Evidently I’m not as great under pressure as I thought“ 

“Yeah no shit!” 

“Literally”

Then we’re both laughing, which starts to move into borderline hysterics, as we’re both in quite the...situation. We cackle like hyenas for moment- 

Then the bathroom door opens. 

Shane hears it first and immediately has his hand against my mouth, shutting me up. I blink at him, eyes wide. But he’s not looking at me. He’s staring past me out the crack in the stall to see who’s entered. We’re so close together- I can feel his breath on my face- it stinks. 

I giggle a bit at that and he glares at me. I put my hand over his to muffle the sound. Which is- an experience. I becoming acutely aware of just _how_  close we are and all the places we’re touching- wow it’s warm in here-

Shane seems to relax as the door opens and closes again. He backs up a bit and moves his hand from my face, he looks at me and furrows his brows in concern. 

“You alright Ryan- you’re all red are you getting too hot?” 

My face is unpleasantly warm.

“Yes-“ I clear my throat. “All good here.” Then I look at the papers and remember that all is not good- “so wait they were left for your mom? That doesn’t make any sense! Did Norberry know your mom?” 

“Not that I know of.” Shane’s grip on the papers tighten. “Look I don’t understand it either-“ 

I lean against the door, running a hand through my hair. Trying to wrap my head around this. 

“Well-“ My head spins as I think. “Norberry trusted me I think- Maybe he wanted me to find them. So he left them where he knew you would find them and show me-“ 

But that doesn’t make sense- Norberry didn’t trust Shane at all. And how would he know Shane’s mom was in the psychiatric center- unless...

“Yeah- Maybe.” He doesn’t seem too convinced. But neither am I. He seems more nervous about the idea then anything. 

“Let me see-“ I take the papers from him. He seems reluctant to let them go. 

“Be careful” he murmurs. It’s laced with uncertainty. 

I can tell as soon as their in my hands that something isn’t right. I watched that damn security footage enough times to know that. 

“It’s missing stuff- this isn’t all the papers.” I say as I flick the file open. Shane reaches out and stops me. 

“Let’s go somewhere else-“ 

I agree and next thing I know I’m surrounded in darkness. 

~

Light returns to my sight and I blink a few times to clear my sight. We’re in some type of restaurant- 

“You have got to warn me before you do that teleporting shit.” I groan, rubbing my eyes as the dizziness subsided. I see him shrug before sliding into a booth. I follow him, looking around and noticing the location and smiling. 

“Waffle House? Really?” 

“Look I’m sure shadier things have happened here.” 

We both laugh at that, earning some odd looks from a server. But we don’t care. We’ve got better shit to worry about. 

I order some waffles, Shane sticks to a sprite (which is probably wise.) All the while I’m flipping through the pages in the folder. It’s reports mostly, of attacks and things from the Legion. Oddly enough nothing on the Hacker- there’s individual little reports on council members- describing their powers and what not. I find my mom and dads and pause. Skimming over the pages. 

“Have you read these?” I ask, reading the section about my dads powers. 

“Flipped through- to be honest I didn’t see much that was super controversial- mostly reports and things. I guess the councils weaknesses would be dangerous- but you said things were missing right?” 

“Yeah..” I trailed off as I read my dads weakness. Water. All tech heroes couldn’t use their powers in water that was a well known fact-How ironic was it that fire was the thing that took him out.

  I moved over to my moms page and my eyes fell on her biography section. I couldn’t help but read through, still talking to Shane. “There’s more stuff in it in the video- he probably hid it somewhere else-“ I trailed off as I read a particular line. 

“Ryan-you Alright?”  Shane inquired cautiously. Probably noticing my expression-

“yeah it’s just-“ I read the line again. “I guess before my mom had me she had a miscarriage-“ 

“Jeez-“ 

“Yeah-“ I trailed off. Closing the folder. She never told me that. But I guess that can’t  come as a surprise. 

“I don’t get it” He sighs. “Why send us the file if there’s nothing that pertinent inside it-“ 

I want to answer but I can’t. It doesn’t make much sense to me either. Why not include the important information when he gives it to us? 

Unless, he doesn’t trust one of us to see everything. 

My eyes dance to Shane, whos now nursing his glass of sprite. Fiddling with the wrapper from his straw. I hate that distrust twinges in my chest. But I can’t help it. Not with everything else- 

Then my waffles arrive and we chat as I eat. I try and ignore the file on the table, which seems to stare at me through the Manila folder. 

~

We go back to the dorm, skipping the rest of class that day. We toss some theories back and forth but none of them make much sense. Eventually we get tired of it and Shane leaves to take a shower. Leaving me alone again. I find myself checking the footage again, to make sure I wasn’t crazy- but yes the folder was certainly more full in the video. I felt frustration bubbling in me again- 

Man why did he have to make this so damn hard- 

I felt myself getting mad. More mad then I could recall being in awhile. I pick up the file and flip through the pages. I see the page about my mom and only get more heated- 

Why does everyone have to always hide shit from me? 

I find myself slamming the file down on the floor, as soon as I do there’s this fiery hot pain that shoots through my skull. I see spots and suddenly I’m on the floor, cupping my hands around my head- I’m stuck like this for a few agonizing moments, crying out beneath the roar of static now ringing in my ears. I don’t even hear the door open or know Shane’s back in the room before he’s grabbing me by the arms. 

“Ryan! Ryan what’s wrong!?” His arms are tight on my shoulders. But I can’t answer him. I just reach out and grab onto his arm like my life depends on it. The pain almost becoming too much to bear. 

Then I see it; a _woman pale, eyes sunken, hands shaking. She’s got bruises all over her arms- I swear I’ve seen this before- then it switches. I see myself, laying in a pool of blood, water all around  me-_

_Then_

“Ryan!” Shane’s voice draws me back. I snap out of- whatever the hell that was and blink away tears as the pain subsides. I’m still holding onto him but I don’t care. I’m shaking horribly. 

“F-fuck this” I mutter out. Shane squeezes my arm sympathetically. 

“Was it your head? Did you take your meds today? Are you alright?” Hes speaking fast- but there’s a wariness to him. Like I’ve frightened him. 

Fuck- I forgot. 

He must have been able to tell from my expression. Cause he immediately looked more worried. 

“Jesus Ryan you’re still getting pain like that without them?” 

I don’t answer him. I’m rubbing my eyes, trying to soothe the ache there. 

“You should go to the med bay-“ 

“No!” I say quickly. Spinning my head toward him. The motion makes me wince. 

“Cmon Ry-“ 

“No- it’s fine it was my fault I forgot-“ I’m reaching for my bedside table, trying to stand up. Shane is helping me. I notice then that he’s soaked, hair dripping water all over the floor. As if he had run straight from the shower. How he knew I needed help was beyond me. Maybe he had some type of spidey sense who knows at this point- “I just need to lay down.” 

“You sure?” He was looking me up and down, worry etched into all his features. It was almost cute. God I’m tired. 

“Yes Shane-“ I tried to assure him, but he was staring at me. So I looked up and met his eyes. There was hair in his face, dripping water down his nose. I wanted to wipe it dry for him- but I didn’t. That would be weird. “I’m fine” I said, oddly breathless. But I could blame that on the headache. “Really- I am” 

He modded, just barely. “Okay- I believe you. Get some rest.” 

Then the eye contact broke. And I felt myself able to breath a bit better. 

~

I had to pretend to sleep for a bit, Shane was watching me the whole time, probably afraid I was going to slip into a coma. Eventually though he dozed off as well and I found myself staring at the ceiling. Contemplating a lot of shit. 

I couldn’t ignore what I saw when my head went Berserk. But I couldn’t explain it either so I put that aside for now. Trying to push away the image of my own body surrounded by blood- 

Focus Ryan. 

Norberry. Norberry left all these damn clues and me with no idea what to do with them. I had suspicions but some part of me didn’t want to think about that- 

But some part of me was so desperate for answers it didn’t matter. 

I had this itch in me, feverish and unbearable. I just wanted to know the damn truth for once. Just once. 

I found myself getting out of bed. Ignoring the ache in my head and the exhaustion clinging to my bones. I was moving without a plan, grabbing my coat and throwing it on before rushing out the door, closing the door as quietly as I could. Then I was gone. Not realizing I had forgotten my shoes. Oh well-

~ 

There was caution tape outside his room. I didn’t care. I stepped over it and opened the door, entering the classroom. It was destroyed inside. Everything thrown about. Glass was shattered and There was a trail of blood on the floor. It all lined up with the video so far. I walked over to the desk, where he used the pen. I rifled through drawers but of course nothing- I followed his steps, walking to where he broke the camera. I looked into it now, where it stared with a shattered lense. 

Now what?

I looked around the room. Where would a crazed man hide confidential documents. I tried for a moment to think like him- go all Criminal Minds on the situation, then I remembered the trail of blood and decided to go with that instead. I followed the blood across the room. But it led to a wall. Before looping off and heading for the door. There were papers scattered on the floor and toppled over chair. I stared at the wall, utterly frustrated and spun and kicked the chair, sending it siding across the floor. 

“Where the hell are they Norberry!?” I found myself, speaking to nobody in particular. I could almost hear him talking back to me-saying all of his stupid cryptic phrases- 

 

“ _Be cautious Mr.Bergara, there are strange things afoot._

_“keep and eye out on that partner of yours."_

_"bad things always happen in three's."_

Fucking lunatic. 

I stared at the wall in vain. Knowing he probably just left with the files and hid them somewhere else. If he had left them here the police almost certainly would have found them- 

I go to check the time but my watch has stopped. I look around for the one in here and realize it’s hanging a few feet above me. It seems to have stopped too- 

Oh fuck me. 

 I grab the chair that I knocked over and drag it over to the wall, clambering up on top of it and grabbing the clock. I stare down at the face of it for a moment, grinning to myself. 

The time stopped on 3:33. 

I turn it open and pry open the back. Sure enough there’s a folded up sheet of paper. I rip it out and place the back on the clock. Sliding it onto the wall. 

Then I hear voices down the hallway, and I panic. I quickly get off the chair and set it down the way I found it. I look around the room for somewhere to hide and find nothing. I look at the window, and we’ll- you can guess what happens next. 

~ 

So I’m on the roof of the second story. Thank god nobody really goes on on Tuesday nights cause I would certainly be fucked. I close the window behind me just as I see the door to the classroom open. I tuck myself out of sight and sit there for a moment in the cold, looking down at the courtyard below. I look down at the paper in my hand and nearly laugh out loud. 

God what a weird fucking night. 

I crawl along the edge of the gutter, eventually finding another window. I peak inside, I recognize that room from anywhere- 

~ 

“Ryan! What the fuck!” 

I’ve just climbed into Sara and Jens room. Sara has sat up at the sound of me crashing to their floor. I sit up, probably looking absolutely insane as I crawl to my feet. 

“Look I can explain-“ 

“Oh I can’t wait to hear this-“ I hear Jen joke. 

“Just not now- we can catch up over lunch sometime!” Then I’m rushing for the door, Sara calling after me. But I don’t turn back- I can’t. Otherwise I’ll tell them everything. At this point I don’t know if they’re people I can trust. Who knows anymore. 

~ 

Im back in the damn bathroom. Everything always seems to happen there. I lock myself in a stall and start unfolding the paper, hands shaking from all the excitement. It’s different from all the other papers in the folder, a few sheets stapled together. The school logo is on it. It was student records- with an all too familiar name on the top. 

Shane Madej. 

I pause. Part of me knows I shouldn’t read this. That it would be an invasion of privacy. But part of me wondered who the hell it was I was living with. Why all the sneaking around and secrets? 

I open the paper and start to read. I already knew what I was going to find. I think anyone would have. But maybe I was wrong- Maybe I was jumping to conclusions too fast-

But I wasn’t. 

~ 

Shane’s awake when I come back to the dorm. He’s pacing around like mad. He spins around when I enter, looking livid. 

“Where the hell were you!? I woke up and you were gone- you can’t do that after your head-“ He starts going off, but I cut in. 

“That’s rich coming from you” I scoff. He gives me a weird look. 

“What are you talking about-“ 

“Why don’t you tell me where you go off and vanish to all those nights huh?” It’s more bitter then I would have liked it to be. But there was anger bubbling up in my stomach. Crumpled paper folded in my fist. 

“I told you I was seeing my mom last night-“ 

“Oh trust me I know plenty about your mom-“ next thing I knew I was shoving the paper into his chest. He stumbled back, surprised, grabbing the paper and unfolding it. I could see him tense up. 

“What the hell Ryan-“ 

“No!” I shouted back. “What the hell Shane!? How do you keep something like this to yourself?” My head was burning. I didn’t care. “I thought we trusted each other-“ 

“I thought so too!” He shakes the paper in his hand. “But this-“ 

“Norberry showed me that for a fucking reason!” I was raising my voice. We would get noise complains probably- but at this point who gives a shit. “He told me I couldn’t trust you- he knew!” 

“Couldn’t trust me!” He barked out a laugh, it was loud and bitter and didn’t sound at all like him. I was taken aback. He stared at me with these dark eyes. I recognized him even less. “Why Ryan? Why wouldn’t you be able to trust me?” He was walking toward me. I noticed then just how much he looked over me- 

“Because-“ I couldn’t say it. He laughed again. I hated that sound. 

“Go on Bergara tell me- tell me my big secret!” He swung his arms out, I could see shadows gathering around his arms. It almost looked like he had wings. 

“Shane-“ I wasn’t as loud. Less sure. I was- scared. He looked- fucking scary. I felt my breath catch in my throat. He dropped his arms back down. 

“I’m the son of a villain” He snapped, getting way too close to me. I was backed against the wall. “One of the worst their was- and therefore I can’t be trusted-“ he glared down at me. “Right Ryan?- Huh?” 

I Didn’t answer. I couldn’t. I was in fight or flight mode.

He slammed his hand against the wall next to my head. I jumped, and apparently I chose fight- 

My vision went white. My hands went up to my head and I felt Shane back away from me. I was so scared and angry and confused- I just wanted him to go away- then there was this bright yellow light-

I blink and look up at Shane. He’s backing away from me, eyes wide, face as white as a ghost. I lower my hands. Confusion creeping into my features. 

“Shane?” I ask. And he makes this small strangled sound. He stumbles against the desk and nearly falls over, eyes stuck on me. I step toward him and he reaches a hand up. 

“No- don’t please-“ he’s begging- he looks horrified. 

“Shane-What?” Ive stepped in front of the dresser. I glance over and see myself in the mirror

a _woman pale, eyes sunken, hands shaking. She’s got bruises all over her arms-_

Im glowing this pale yellow. I look fuzzy, like I’m in a dream. I recognize the woman from Shane’s photograph.

Holy shit. 

Then Shanes gone. In a flurry of shadow he’s vanished. I stumble after him, trying to stop him. But he’s gone. I fall to my knees and gasp. There’s another flash of yellow and I look at my hands. They’re back to normal- thank god. 

What the fuck just happened- 

My head is on fire. My whole body shaking. It feels like I just had a panic attack- I probably did. The adrenaline is racing through me like crazy- then I think about Shane- 

Fuck- Shane! 

My stomach twisted. What the hell did I just do? 

I’m on my feet in and instant, running out of the room for the second time that night. Forgetting my shoes yet again

~

It’s fucking cold outside. I’m running down the street, not really knowing where I’m going. It was a bitch getting past campus security but once they realized who I was it wasn’t that hard- 

Where the hell is he? If I were Shane- where would I go? 

A thought occurred to me and I was jogging in an instant. Grimacing as it started to rain. 

I have to find him. 

~

I’m standing outside the psychiatric center, soaking wet when Shane comes outside. He sees me and tenses up. I step toward him but choose against it when I see him flinch. 

“I would have come inside but the woman at the desk wouldn’t let me-“ I stuttered through the cold, running a hand through my wet hair. “Look Shane I don’t know what the hell that was but I’m sorry I didn’t mean- “ I took in a shaky breath, spitting out water. “I’m so fucking sorry-“ 

 He stared at me for a moment, looking much different from an hour ago. He’s not towering over me anymore. He looks so small. 

“I get it Ryan-“ He croaks out. “I get why you’re mad- I probably deserved it-“ 

Now I was taken aback- 

“No- no” I took a step toward him. He didn’t flinch away this time. “No I was just so frustrated- I said shit I didn’t mean- God Shane-“ I grabbed at my hair. “I’m a fucking idiot-“ 

“No Ryan-“ He was wrapping his arms around himself. “I get it- I’m villain spawn I’m basically predisposed to evil- what I did in there wasn’t right I knew I was freaking you out I just-“ He bit his lip, fingers digging into his coat. “I just knew you were going to think I was some type of freak-“ he sounds, looks- so hurt. It breaks my heart right there. 

“Shane-“ My hands fall to my sides. “That’s not true- dude look-“ I tried to gather the words, wiping water off of my face. “I know what it’s  like having parents with a reputation- I know how people can look at you- like they expect you to be like them. Fuck if anyone should have been understanding it should have been me!” I threw my arms up in exasperation. “But I was so angry that you were keeping things from me I just- I just snapped I’m sorry- please dude you gotta know I’m sorry-“ I sounded desperate I didn’t care. I was looking at Shane Madej, huddled and hurt in the rain and knowing I could trust him. Evil parent aside. I knew him better then any damn report. 

He looked down at his feet for a long moment, before sniffling and looking back up at me. His eyes full of tears. He almost glowed yellow under the dim streetlights, the raindrops dancing off him as they hit his coat. He let his arms unravel, looking a bit like a tall, very sad ghost.

“I thought you were going to hate me” He said, barely audible over the rain. I smiled at him. 

“I do- I can’t fucking stand you” I chuckled. “But not for that- never for that.” 

Then Shane Madej was hugging me. Long arms wrapped around me making me realize just how fucking big the dude was. I was stunned for a brief moment before bringing my own arms up, squeezing him hard. 

“I’m sorry” 

“me too” 

We stayed there for a long moment, both of us getting soaked. Eventually I broke the silence. 

“Can we not keep shit from each other anymore-“ 

“Deal-“ 

He pulled away from me, looking a bit bashful now. I smiled at the thought. Then he looked down and noticed my bare feet. 

“Ryan!” He summoned an umbrella of shadows. “You’re gonna be hypothermia you dumbass-“ 

I laugh, scooting close to him to fit under the shelter. I find myself hooking my arm under his, against his back to fit. We huddle close and start walking back, Shane scolding me the whole way. We don’t talk about what I did back in the room- I’m sure we would eventually. But even if we did I couldn’t explain it. 

It was a scary thing to think about- not knowing even yourself. 

But stumbling through the rain in my bare feet, tucked against Shane, that didn’t matter too much. Not right now at least. 

But Im sure that’ll be a problem soon- everything seems to be a problem these days. But not the paper in my pocket, now withered away from the rain. That didn’t matter anymore. 

Now the other papers that were still out there- those certainly did.

~ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmm I love this chapter idk why. I’m a sucker for rain scenes I guess.  
> Also I go back to school this week so, back to less frequent updates sorry!


	15. Authors Note

Hello! 

So it’s been awhile since I updated this fic, things had been a bit busy for awhile there with school and what not, now with this whole quarantine I certainly have a lot more time on my hands. I was debating coming back to continue on this project or just benching it and starting something new. It just depends I guess if anyone still wants to read this one anymore. It has been awhile and I understand if nobody really cares about this old gal but if you do want me to continue please let me know I’m just still really on the fence about whether or not I should continue or just let it go. It would make me a bit sad cause I had a lot more planned but idk if it’s worth pursuing anymore so just- let me know I suppose. 

I hope to see everyone soon, maybe with a new update? Or perhaps something new. Let me know what you think!! Hope everyone’s well and staying indoors. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy smokes you all are so kind- the amount of love that y’all have poured onto this fic really just blows my mind and I’m super thankful for each and everyone of you. For those who are new hello!! Idk when I’m gonna be updating it’s probably gonna be sporadic and whenever I have the energy but I will try to get this fic to completion! So anyways here we are for a long awaited update- please note some of these scenes seem super irrelevant but I promise you,,, they’re not. But ANYWHO- let’s rock and roll buckaroos

Things were different after the fight. 

 

In a good way- and also a bad way at times. After we got back to the dorm both practically soaking wet Shane practically forced me go take a hot shower-

 

“You’re going to get hypothermia you dumbass- go warm yourself up before you get sick.” He spoke forcefully, but a smile still tugged at the corner of his lips, his wet hair falling in his face in a big brown mess. He wasn’t shivering at all, which didn’t look good on my end when I was shaking like a leaf, my teeth chattering as I crossed my arms across my chest.

 

“I’m f-fine.” I stuttered out, trying to ignore the fact that I couldn’t feel my toes. Shane cast me a glare and I rolled my eyes. “Alright, alright- if it’ll get you to stop bitching about it-” I go to start pulling off my wet shirt, which was clinging to my skin.

 

“I’m not bitching! I’m just…” He chuckled, tugging off his shoes as he did so “I’m concerned!”

 

I snorted and tossed the wet shirt at him, which hit him square in the side of the head. He gasped and swung at me with one of his shoes, I caught his wrist and grinned, pushing him back lightly. 

 

“Nice try-” 

 

Then he swept my feet out from under me, with a swift swipe to my ankles. I stumbled but pulled his arm so we both fell, clumsily falling both on my bed and onto the floor. Most of my weight fell onto Shane and I heard him yelp. 

 

“Get off me you fatass-” 

 

I gasp in mock surprise.

 

“How rude!-” I roll over, and wrap my arm around him to get him in a loose headlock. “Apologise this instant!” I squeeze my grip just barely and he yelps, bringing his hand up to push at my face. We both burst out laughing as he tries to wriggle his way out of my grip. 

 

“Bergara I’m not playing this game with you-” He’s grinning in spite of himself

 

“You’re just scared of losing!” My voice is muffled by his hand across my face.

 

Then he elbows me in the stomach, not hard but enough to make me jump and let him go. He’s got my arm and is trying to twist it behind my back but I try to throw him off. Soon we’re wrestling around, both soaking wet and getting my mattress drenched. I can feel his freezing cold clothes against my skin and I would be shivering if I wasn’t so focused on kicking his ass. Eventually I manage to flip him over and in a moment of desperation I end up sitting on his back, pressing his face into the mattress with my palm and laughing my ass off.

 

“Very mature Ryan-” He grumbles, barely audible with his face buried in my bed. 

 

“I think I win-” I reply smugly, releasing my hand from his hair, which is still severely damp. I don’t move however, enjoying watching him try to push me off. His hands push against my arm, cold against my bare skin. 

 

“Alright I get it you win now get off me you big oaf-” His hand falls limp, falling back on the bed. I almost miss the touch. In fact now that I’m not moving I’m starting to feel the cold creep back in. I cross my arms and shudder. I can hear him chuckle into the sheets.

 

“Shut up-”

 

“Look I told you to go shower, you’re practically frozen-” His hand is back on me, only this time landing lightly on my waist. His hands are so cold it makes me shudder again, the sensation jolting up my spine. 

 

“Says you your hands are frozen-” I go to grab his hand to push it away but he flips it around to grab my wrist. His grip is firm and I tense up just barely. I can feel his fingertips firm against my skin, his long fingers wrapped around so pale against me- I feel my heart thudding against my ribs.

 

I’m crawling off of him in an instant, prying my hand from his grip. He sighs and rolls over. But I don’t look at him, I stare at the wall instead, ignoring the way my breath was shaking. I can almost still feel his hand on my wrist-

 

“Your pulse is high- you need to get warmed up.” Shane says simply. He sits up and starts to crawl off my bed. 

 

“Yeah-” My voice cracks. I clear my throat. “You’re probably right.” 

 

I start crawling off my bed, shivering again. I rub my wrist absentmindedly, trying not to think about all the places where we had just bumped together. The feeling of his cold hands on my waist and arms-

 

A bundle of fabric hit me in the nose. I yelped and picked it up, it was one of Shane’s sweatshirts. It was some park in Illinois, probably somewhere he visited when he lived there, it was absolutely hideous. 

 

“Wha-”

 

“Dude you haven’t done laundry in weeks. Just borrow that for now.” Shane spoke over his shoulder, grabbing his own clothes to change into. I watched the way you could see the bones along his back press against his wet shirt-

 

_Okay woah-_

 

“Oh- uh. Thanks.” I muttered, standing up and clutching the shirt to my chest. Which felt tighter by the minute. He gave me a thumbs up over his shoulder and I couldn’t help but smile. 

 

_What a fucking dork._

 

I head out to the shower, the smile on my face never leaving. 

 

~

 

So yeah- things have been….Different. Mostly good though. Mostly just us goofing off and getting ready for assessments and relaxing. We tried to look more into trying to find any more of the missing files but hit a bit of a wall. Plus things having to do with the Hacker and the Legion of Evil went quiet- crime was still high but nothing too serious. Just required extra patrols from volunteers from the school. That’s where we were now, out on the streets of the city on a Sunday night, making sure nobody robs anymore jewelry stores- dumb shit like that. We talked a lot on patrol. The whole “trusting each other thing.” meant we had to be more open I guess- I knew I was. I’ve been more honest with him then i’ve been with...anyone. I hope he is too but sometimes I don’t know-

 

He’s so _guarded._ Even after everything. But he always is. Part of me knows there’s still things he’s hiding but I just hope he’ll tell me in his own time. 

 

Hopefully.

 

“Hey Earth to Ryan-” Shane nudges me, drawing me out of my own thoughts. I blink a few times and yawn, my mouth stretching wide. 

 

“Sorry- sorry. I’m here.” I try and stretch my arms up, listening to my joints pop, Shane winces. He hates when I do that- says it sounds disgusting. 

 

“Try not to fall asleep so early- why the hell are you tired anyways- you've been having more dreams?” He’s studying me, concerned now. It’s almost cute. _Almost._

 

“Nah- haven’t had any in awhile.” I let my arms fall back to my side. 

 

“Why do you think that is?” He turns back to the street ahead of us. It’s busy this time of night, people bustling around under the bright street light. Cities like these are never quiet, especially on weekends. 

 

“Not sure. Guess I get them when I’m stressed but I haven’t been stressed.” I follow his gaze, looking at the people around us. They spare us the occasional curious glance because of our school shirts, some even murmur when they get a glance at me. But it doesn’t bother me. I’m used to it. “-things have just been….easy.”

 

“Yeah.” Shane says, letting out a small sigh. He stuffs his hands in his pockets gnawing on his lip a bit. “You’re not worried about assessments?- I mean we haven’t exactly got your powers figured out.”

 

“Oh yeah-”

 

I should be worried, I know I should be. But for some reason I’m just- not. I’ve felt more calm then I have...ever. For the first time ever everything in my mind is just-

 

Still.

 

Maybe I’m tired of everything being so crazy, after what happened with Shane I just like relaxing a little, being with him and just- things feel even just a bit normal and I haven’t had normal in so long. Maybe I’m blocking out how crazy things are for my own sanity but I don’t care at this point. In this moment I’m looking at Shane, who’s standing in the yellow street lights looking like he did outside the mental hospital and it makes my stomach twist in a way I wish it wouldn’t.

 

I ignore it. Maybe I’m ignoring other things too. I’m too content with how things are now to care.

 

That is until a camera flashes.

 

Shane turns first, his face twisting in annoyance. I glance over to see a man in a dark coat, taking a photo of me with a large camera. I flip him off as he takes another, only before darting off into the crowd. Shane starts to step in his direction and I grab his arm. 

 

“It’s fine- don’t bother.” I sigh, letting my hand fall back down to my side. 

 

“What an ass- you really put up with shit like that all the time?” He huffs and turns back toward me, now standing on my left side as if to shield me from any more nosy assholes. It makes me chuckle, just barely. 

 

“Yep- ever since I was a kid. It’s such a pain being famous.” I grin and he rolls his eyes. 

 

“I’m sure it is.” He scoffs, voice dripping with sarcasm.

 

“Well you might be famous too now- knowing them the headline will be-” I throw my arms out dramatically as I present the title. “Ryan Bergara spotted with a mysterious stranger-” I laugh to myself, but Shane seems less enthusiastic, worry is etched in his features.

“You really think they’ll mention me?” He’s tense now, looking over his shoulder as if to check for any more photographers. I chuckle a bit, but it’s tense and lined with confusion. 

 

“I mean maybe- they’ll throw in anything to get a good story- “ He turns back to me, eyes wide with alarm. “Why?”

 

“You’re not worried people might try and- I don’t know.” He reaches up at scratches at the back of his neck. “ Look me up?” 

 

_Oh shit-_

 

“Well-” I pause, the words fumbling on my tongue. “I mean you’ve done pretty well at keeping everything with your mom and where you came from under wraps so far-” I don’t sound as sure as I would like too. Shane has been so protective of his identity this whole time if any of it gets out-

 

“Yeah but I mean-” I can see him start to sink into himself, starting to overthink. He’s always thinking in that big head of his, I wish I could tell what the hell was going on in there.“yeah...yeah you’re right it’s fine.” He’s gnawing on his lip, I don’t think he realises. 

 

I elbow him lightly in the side, shooting him a smile. He lets his lip go and its bright red. I try not to stare at it. 

 

“It’ll be fine don’t worry- all the stuff about your mom has been locked up right? Witness protection or whatever?” He nods, he’s not looking at me anymore, staring off distractedly. I continue on, staring at the street ahead. “Then it’s fine man- I wouldn’t worry about it too much, which is rich coming from me I know-” Shane laughs, it’s soft but still tugs a smile onto my lips. 

 

“Yeah you’re right- it’s fine I’m just overthinking I guess.” 

 

“Leave that to me, you’re weird when you’re nervous.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Make me-”

 

Shane smacks me on the side of the head. I gasp in mock shock and he laughs again, I join him and everything feels good and normal again. Shane’s secret would be fine- nobody will be able to dig that up it’s all secret government business and we know how governments are and their secrets-

 

_That is unless Shane has something else to hide._

 

The thought prickles at the back of my mind, venomous and sharp. I look at Shane next to me, laughing and grinning with that big stupid smile of his. I push the idea back down. We were trusting each other now- he wouldn’t hide anything else from me now, not after what happened-

 

_Right?_

 

Doubt twitches in my stomach, but I try to disregard it as we continue on the patrol. Because I Trust Shane- i have to trust him because who else could I trust. I have to.

 

 I just- have to.

 

“Oh hey!” Shane stops, gaze turning to a building across the street. Before I get the chance to look he’s grabbing my arm and pulling me across a crosswalk, grin on his face.

 

“Hey uh- we’re kinda supposed to be patrolling-” A laugh dances on my tongue nonetheless. 

 

“I know it’ll just be a minute-” We break through the crowd and we’re standing in front of some bakery I didn’t recognise. Shane was staring at it with this big dumb grin. “They have these all over in Chicago, they have the best pie c’mon-

 

Then he’s dragging me inside and fawning over all the different desserts and things, its crazy the things he gets excited about. Plus once he starts stalking about Chicago you can’t get him to stop then he’s gushing about all the things he misses. It’s funny it’s like I’m learning all these things about him in these chunks of favorite pies and worn out boots and childhood memories. He starts to make more sense every day. In the same sense I realise how much I don’t know about him.

 

“You have no idea man it’s so good-” He pauses and looks at me, tilting his head. “-Ryan?” 

 

I was staring. Didn’t notice it I was too busy thinking about- well him. I laugh it off. 

 

“Sorry- zoned out. Tell me more about this pie-” I say quickly, he seems doubtful at first, but doesn’t pass up on the pie discussion. I ask him lots of questions like this-

 

“What else did they have in Chicago?” _(Not much- but to him it’s the whole world.)_

 

“What was your school like?”  _(He was homeschooled- figures.)_

 

“Childhood best friends?” _(Loner always I guess.)_

 

It’s just so fascinating, he’s fascinating- he’s got to be the strangest person I’ve met. We get the pie and we fall into our normal stupid conversation, I keep asking questions because I just want to know more. Maybe I’m nosy- but maybe i’m just as addicted to the mystery of Shane Madej as everyone else. 

 

But I’d never admit that.

 

“Fuck that’s good-” I mumble, the first bite of the pie warming my stomach. 

 

“I know right!” Shane grinned, watching my expression carefully. He seemed so _glad_ that I liked it. I think I would have said I did either way, I don’t want to imagine his expression if I hadn’t.

 

Man since when do I care about making him happy? 

 

I try not to think about it. I’m too wrapped up in the pie and the soft guitar music and _Shane._ Everything is too nice, like all the crazy shit in the world got put on pause. Things tend to be that way with him, _still._ I could almost forget we were supposed to be patrolling the city for potential murderous villains-

 

Then people outside start screaming.

 

~

 

We’re outside in an instant. Shane’s arms have changed into these big shadowy claws. It’s so damn cool when he does that but I don’t have time to think about it because there’s people racing every which way- chaos breaking out. Me and Shane push our way through and there’s some type of fight happening in the street. Two specials it looks like- one of them has got this big lizard tail and scales, the other is breathing fire. Both of them are going at it like madmen- the lizard one shoves the fire dude into a car and the alarm starts blaring through the street. I don’t recognize either of them- but then I see the fire guy has on one of our shirts-

 

“Get people back-” Shane says quickly. In an instant he’s jumping into the fray, grabbing lizard man with some type of shadow rope- I have to turn my eyes away to the people panicking. 

 

“Alright everybody get back!-” I start to push the crowd back. A piece of debris flies from the fight and into the crowd and I’m racing to shove a woman and her son out of the way, smoke flies everywhere and I duck my head down as the pedestrians start to flee. I hear a laugh above me that sends a shiver up my spine-

 

“My my if it isn’t the little Bergara-” A voice, smooth as honey coos above me. I look up and perched on top of a lamppost is a woman with long red hair flowing around her. I recognized her from the news-

 

“Banshee-” I stand up quickly, stumbling back to look at her. I glance around quickly for Shane but the dust is billowing so thick around us. Banshee hopped down, kicking up more debris. She grinned wide and placed her hands on her hips. She looks just like she did on the TV when I was younger, causing havoc with the rest of the legion. She was one of the youngest in the group- still not one to be reckoned with, that’s what my mom always told me at least. 

 

“Look at you- you look so much like your father-” She grinned, I tensed up, my fists balling up. “I met him a few times you know- real smart guy I gotta give him some credit-”

 

“What are you doing here Banshee?” I demand. I urge my voice not to shake, somehow it doesn’t. But she still cackles. God what was it with villains and those stupid laughs-

 

“Oh just running an errand or two- somebody told me you were in town I thought I’d swing by and say hello see what all the fuss is about-“ 

 

“What- what do you mean?” I’m stalling. I know Banshee I can’t take her on my own. She could knock me on my ass easy- I need Shane I need backup. Luckily for me she loves to talk-

 

“Oh everyone in the legion is talking about you love! We’re all so excited to see how the little prodigy is going to turn out. We’ve got bets you know about the powers-“ 

 

Before I know it she’s rushing at me, I try and duck away but she’s _fast_. She’s got me by the throat in an instant and I’m grabbing at her wrist

 

“Are you a techie like your dad?”

 

She squeezes just barely, not enough to cut off my airflow but enough to hurt.

 

“No I don’t think so- you’re too big and strong for that. Your dad always was a wimpy looking fella-“ 

 

I try and urge my powers to come forward. For anything to happen. But nothing does. She lifts me up off the ground, squeezing tighter. I gasp.

 

“Maybe you can put people to sleep like your mom? Wouldn’t that be something although-“ she spins and slams me against the nearest building, sending pain racing through my back. “I think you would have done that by now don’t you?” 

 

I think about the bathroom, what happened with Steven. I think about Shane and how I changed into his mom- how did I do it? _C’mon- think!_

 

“So what the hell is it that you do Bergara?” 

 

_Great question-_ I think to myself. I would love to know the answer. Instead I reach for my belt and grab a baton from my waist, whipping it across her head. She yelps and stumbles, her grip releasing me down to the ground. I cough a bit, rubbing my throat before she’s diving at me again, I kick her feet out from under her but she catches her self swinging a punch at my stomach instead. I duck back and swing the baton again, she catches it in her grip.

 

“You’re quick- I like that” she smirks and swings again. We’re both fighting hand to hand, dust and debris flying about as we duck and twist around each other. Next thing I know there’s a lizard man flying toward us and we’re breaking apart, the kid falls heavily, I look toward the smoke and the fire villain appears. But Shane doesn’t-

 

_Shane-_

  
  


I don’t have time to worry about Shane. The lizard kid is hurt and trying to pick himself back up, I’m grabbing my baton and lunging at the fire villain who spins toward me and tries to open his mouth but not before I slam the back of my elbow into his jaw. He stumbles down and I kick him again, hard enough he slides over the pavement. I try and turn to see where Banshee went-

 

Then she screams. 

 

I’ve never heard it in person, they can’t ever catch it on video it’s so loud- but man it really is worse then you expect. 

 

The force of it sends me flying back into another car, I hit it and I feel glass scatter around me. Everything goes white as I hit the pavement, the shriek reverberating through my skull. It _hurts_ it’s loud and makes my head throb in a way I’ve never felt. I cover my ears in vain, hands tight against the sides of my head. 

 

I can’t think- I cant move I can’t breathe- 

 

Then it stops. My ears are still ringing and the edges of my vision are frayed. I slowly look up and-

 

_Shane-_

 

He’s there. He’s smacked Banshee across the street with this big shadow whip. He looks like shit, pale as ever. He turns to me and starts rushing my way- He doesn’t see the fire villain starting to stand up.

 

I wanna tell him to watch out but my head is on fire and I can’t get my mouth to move. The guy is opening his mouth- these big flames lapping out and right toward Shane-

 

_Shane-!_

 

The pain in my head reaches a peak, I see nothing but white and _yellow._ I wanna run for him, get him out of the way but my body feels cemented to the ground- every ounce of my being wants to run-

 

And then I am. In a flash of an instant I’m there, shoving him back out of the way. The fire was coming right at me now- Everything seems to move slow then as if in slow motion. 

 

Then I realize it is. Everything was in slow motion. 

 

The fire passes right through me, like I’m not even there. I turn around and see myself still sitting on the street by the broken car, my eyes glowing a brilliant yellow was I...astral projecting? 

 

Just as the thought crossed my mind I was whipped back into my body. Which felt what I could only presume what getting hit by a bus felt like. I slumped over, hands coming up to my still screaming head, Shane was on the ground now- looking as confused as ever, so was fire dude who missed his shot. Before he had time to realize what happened Shane had knocked him into the nearest store window, which he crashed through in a shower of glass. It would have been an incredible thing to witness if my entire body didn’t feel like it was on _fire._

 

God I could not have one easy goddamn day- 

 

I was on my back, holding my head and clenching my eyes shut. Everything felt so loud- it was almost like I was astral projecting still, everything pulled into a sharp focus. All the lights were too bright, everything _hurt_. 

 

I try and look for Shane, I think I see him. Banshee is there too. But she doesn’t attack him. No they’re standing there as still as death. Banshees mouth is moving but I can’t make out the words- I wanna tell Shane to run, to watch out. Fear- red hot like lightning strikes through my core and I can feel that Shane is scared too- I don’t know how but I can hear his heart thudding in his chest. Banshee isn’t scared, not in the slightest, her heart is slow and even. I can hear that and every other damn thing- there’s police sirens ringing in the distance, then all I see is red and blue- 

 

“Ryan-“ 

 

Shane is above me now, looking down at me with wide eyes. I groan as my eyes open, pain flashing through my head yet again. 

 

“Yeah easy- I heard that scream doesn’t wear off for awhile- cops are here though they said ambulance could check you out soon-“ 

 

_No Shit-_ I could still hear the ringing in my ears. I slowly force myself to sit up. Shane doesn’t look great either. He’s pale and got this awful nose bleed. 

 

“Where’s banshee?” I ask suddenly, remembering the villain. 

 

“She ran off- there’s officers looking for her now but they think she’s gone for now. They got that new villain locked up for right now-“ Shane sighs and sits next to me, leaning against the car. I do the same, looking around as police rush around in a chaotic mess. 

 

“You think they’re gonna make us file a report for this?” I ask. Shane laughs, it’s strained and he turns to me, wiping the blood from his nose on the back of his hand. 

 

“Yeah probably-“ he grimaced, looking down as more blood poured from his nose.

“I think I overdid it a bit-“ he smiles, there’s blood on his teeth. He seems to shut down right then, he sinks against me and I’m too tired to care, his head is on my shoulder and I can’t even bring myself to overthink about it.

“We both did-“ I groan, I rub at my eyes with my spare hand, my other arm pinned against the car behind Shane. 

“Nah- we did good. We make a pretty bitchin team.” Shane smiled to himself. I chuckled. 

“Yeah I guess we are.” 

 

I looked at at the pretty most demolished street corner. We still had a decent amount of work to do but- we were getting pretty good at this hero shit. I felt a bit of pride rise in my chest. 

“You think they still have our pie in there-?” Shane whispered. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Until my ribs start to ache and I have to stop.

“Man I hope so.” 

~

Ryan was getting checked out by an EMT, leaving Shane sitting alone on the hood of a now crushed car. He watched Ryan from afar, as the smaller man was getting his eyes checked. Shane sighed and took out his watch, pressing a button and watching as the screen lit up blue. 

“It seems that as I suspected the head injury has a direct correlation to his increase in power- more info to come soon.” He clicked the watch off as Ryan stride back over. Shane slid a smile on his face and stood up aswell. 

“Ready for that pie?” Ryan asked. Shane laughed, tucking his hands in his pockets. 

“Of course.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On today’s episode of Ryan is a dumbass in denial we have: this chapter. Also sorry if formatting is weird funky things were happening while I wrote this chapter the spacing is all wonky my bad and I’m too lazy to fix it whoops. See y’all in the next chapter!


	17. Authors note 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask any other questions in the comments! I couldn’t think of everything when I was typing this up sorry!! Just covered the big things!

Hey y’all I’m really sorry but I’ve really been trying to finish this fic but I just can’t find the motivation anymore. I don’t think it’s gonna be possible to finish. So I’m going to clear a few things up so you guys can have some closure:

-Ryan’s mom wasn’t actually dead she was going to come back a bit later, it was gonna be a big reveal  
-Eugene and Shane were gonna have a fling which got Ryan really jealous which Is how he found out he liked him  
-their first kiss was gonna b at the heroes parade  
-Ryan’s dad wasn’t actually his dad he was Shane’s!! I think some of y’all were starting to catch on to this with the last chapter. Ryan’s dad was supposed to be secretly evil before he died but we didn’t quite get there  
-Ryan’s dad was actually mr Norberry!! That’s why he wanted to protect him so much!

Now as for the identity of the Hacker-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...April Fools ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry I couldn’t help it- although I have to say- one of these facts is actually true ;) do with that as you will. 
> 
> ;))


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